Category Archives: God’s power
P.U.S.H.
I’ve had this essay for a long time, and it encourages me every time I read it. I don’t know who gave it to me, or who the author is, but it is full of God’s encouraging truth!
A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light, and God appeared. The Lord told the man he had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might.
So, this the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun up to sun down, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all of his might. Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been sent in vain.
Since the man was showing discouragement, the Adversary (Satan) decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into his weary mind: “You have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn’t moved.” Thus, he gave the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure.
These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man.
Satan said, “Why kill yourself over this? Just put in your time, giving just the minimum effort; and that will be good enough.” That’s what the weary man planned to do, but decided to make it a matter of prayer and to take his troubled thoughts to the Lord.
“Lord”, he said, “I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock by half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?”
The Lord responded compassionately, “My friend, when I asked you to serve Me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all of your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it…your task was to push. And now you come to Me with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinewy and brown; your hands are calloused from constant pressure, your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much, and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. True, you haven’t moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. That you have done. Now I, my friend, will move the rock.”
At times, when we hear a word from God, we tend to use our own intellect to decipher what He wants, when actually what God wants is just a simple obedience and faith in Him. By all means, exercise the faith that moves mountains, but know that it is still GOD who moves the mountains.
When everything seems to go wrong…just P.U.S.H.!
When the job gets you down…just P.U.S.H.!
When people don’t react the way you think they should…just P.U.S.H.!
When your money is “gone” and the bills are due…just P.U.S.H.!
When people just don’t understand you…just P.U.S.H.!
P = PRAY
U = UNTIL
S = SOMETHING
H = HAPPENS
WHAT MOSES FORGOT
The last few months, a friend and I have been studying Exodus. That’s why the past few blogs have been about some things we’re learning. Here’s another one, and we have more to share!!
Moses was chosen by God to lead His people out of slavery in Egypt into the Promised Land, and on a number of occasions leading up to their freedom, God laid out His plan and strategy to Moses. One of the recurring themes was the fact that God would Pharaoh’s heart so that he would not let them go. (Exodus 3:19; 4:21) After the first encounter that Moses and Aaron had with Pharaoh, he cracked down on the Israelite slaves even harder, confirming that his heart was, indeed, very inflexible. The people’s logical response to his intense severity was rebellion. The entire group that Moses was to lead to freedom was worse off than before; they were very angry with Moses and Aaron, and let them know it!
So Moses had some very big issues on his hands. His first and biggest problem was Pharaoh; the second was the people, and the third was that God didn’t deliver His people as He had promised. Moses complained to God: “For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.” (Exodus 5:23) Moses was so disgruntled with the situation, that he forgot a lot of the conversations he and God had leading up to that moment. He forgot:
- God’s compassion: “I heard their cry…I know their sorrows…I have seen the oppression of My people…He looked on their affliction.” (3:7, 4:31)
- God’s plan: “I have come down to deliver them.” (3:8)
- God’s presence: “I will certainly be with you.” (3:12; 4:12; 4:15)
- God’s person: “I AM…this is My name forever; the Lord God of your fathers.” (3:14-15)
- God’s power: shown in the miracles He did with the rod. (4:2-17)
- God’s provision: He provided Aaron as a spokesman for stuttering Moses. (4:11-16)
- God’s promise: “I WILL bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt…to a land flowing with milk and honey.” ((3:17)
Finally, after a very frustrated Moses vented, God assured him: “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh” (6:1). He patiently reminded him that He was in total control of the situation, and that His plan would be fulfilled “to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.” (6:6-13)
Aren’t we all a bit like Moses sometimes? Don’t we get overwhelmed by the situation at hand that seems to engulf us and fail to see who God is, what He is doing, and that He has a perfect plan He’s working on? Don’t we, too, whine and complain when we make our problems bigger than our God? God give us the grace to remember often that He does have a plan; He is compassionate; His presence is with us; His power can overcome any obstacle; His provision is our daily bread; His promises are true; and that he was – and forever will be – the great I AM! AMEN!
WHOSE BATTLE IS IT, ANYWAY?
“Whose battle is it, anyway?” Some of us have been in “battle” situations in the past and can testify of God’s faithfulness in fighting – and winning! – them for us. Praise God for those battles won! Others of us are facing fierce battles right now. The apostle Paul commands us in Ephesians chapter 6 to “be strong…put on the whole armor…stand…withstand…stand…stand…pray…be watchful…” When our minds and hearts are prepared and protected that way, God will fight the battle for us, and we can expect to be victorious! Searching through the Bible, I found that time and again when faced with a battle, it was God that fought it for His people. God never lost a battle. Look at this…
IT WASN’T DAVID’S BATTLE WITH GOLIATH! (1st Samuel 17). David declared to the giant he was facing: “…the Lord does not save with sword and spear, for the battle is the Lord’s.”
IT WASN’T THE ISRAELITE’S BATTLE! (Exodus 14:13,14) Trapped between the Red Sea and the angry Egyptian army, Moses instructed the people: “Do not be afraid. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”
IT WASN’T JOSHUA’S BATTLE! When Jericho was conquered in Joshua chapter 6, it was God’s battle plan that they followed, and He brought down the city walls. Later, after a lifetime of seeing God win the battles, Joshua gave his farewell address to the people and reminded them that “…the Lord your God is He who fights for you, as He promised you.” (Joshua 23:10)
IT WASN’T NEHEMIAH’S BATTLE! (Nehemiah 4:20) “Our God will fight for us” was his declaration as the enemy schemed to stop the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem.
We can read also of King Asa and the Syrian army (2nd Chronicles 14:1-15); of Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (1st Kings 18); of King Jehoshaphat and the Moabites and Ammonites (2nd Chronicles 20) and countless other cases where God fought the battles for His people. God always won!
So if you are caught in a raging battle today, remember: THE BATTLE IS GOD’S; His part is to fight it. Our part is to be appropriately prepared, stand firm and let Him do what He does best and that only He can do…win it!
The Jack – Discovery and Amazement
Ever since he was very little, our four-year old grandson Jehiel has had a fascination with tools. By far, his favorite place on our property is grandpa’s workshop. He would rather be there with “Lolo” (his version of Abuelo – Spanish for Grandpa) spending time together on a discovery adventure, than anywhere else. Power tools, hand tools, gadgets; wood scraps and absolutely everything arouses his curiosity. As Lolo patiently shows Jehiel what each tool is for and demonstrates how to use it, his already big brown eyes widen with wonder, and you can almost see the gears of imagination and creativity turning in his little head.
A few days ago, Jehiel discovered the jack. Lolo set it up under the cargo van, and together they raised up the back of the van. Jehiel nearly burst with excitement! He discovered that a jack can lift a very heavy vehicle, and no doubt he’ll always remember the day he helped Lolo do just that.
Jehiel’s discovery reminded me of Psalm 145:14, where the Psalmist declared that “The Lord upholds all who fall, and raises up all who are bowed down.” When we are “bowed down”, weary, discouraged, burdened with a heavy load, let’s let Him raise us up! When we turn to His life-giving Word, He raises us up!…When we cry out to Him in prayer, He lifts us up…when we share our burden with a godly friend, He lifts us up…when we choose to believe His truth (that we already know in our heads) and trust His promises, He raises us up! Just as Jehiel discovered the power of the jack to raise up the van, I am constantly amazed at the power of God that raises me up, and I praise Him for it.
Take a few minutes to be blessed by this beautiful song by Selah that so appropriately expresses God’s power to lift us up. http://youtu.be/H2sZuJbxi8Y Remember the times He raised you up in the past, and trust Him to do it again…today. You’ll be amazed!
DIALOGUE BETWEEN DOUBT AND TRUST
When Mr. Trust focuses on GOD, who He is and what HE promised, Mr. Doubt is totally squelched. He’s a loser. Listen to the following dialogue:
DOUBT: “I don’t know why this is happening to me…”
TRUST: “But God knows! He has a plan for me, and He will perfect it!” (Philippians 1:6)
DOUBT: “I sure can’t see any good that will come of this.”
TRUST: “But God is working everything for my good – to make me more like Christ.” (Romans 8:28)
DOUBT: “I’m afraid…”
TRUST: “But God is my strength!” (Psalm 18:1,32)
DOUBT: “I’ll never be able to do that; it’s way too hard!”
TRUST: “But God can do exceedingly, abundantly more than I can ask or think!” (Ephesians 3:20)
DOUBT: “My resources are so few…I don’t have enough…”
TRUST: “But God is the Maker and Owner of everything. His resources are limitless!” (Psalm 95:1-5)
DOUBT: “I just can’t go on anymore.”
TRUST: “But God gives me strength and grace!” (2nd Corinthians 12:9)
DOUBT: “The future looks bad. Really bad.”
TRUST: “But God is with me, and promised never to leave me. EVER!” (Matthew 28:20)
TRUSTING IN THE GOD WHO IS ABLE
The story of the three young Hebrew men who were faithful to God under unimaginable pressure to bow down to the pagan king is fairly well known. (Daniel chapter 3) Given a second chance, and with God’s glory at stake, they declared: “Our God, whom we serve IS ABLE to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O King. But if not, let it be known to you, O King, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” (17,18)
Hearing their declaration, king Nebuchadnezzar was in a rage. He commanded the fiery furnace to be heated up seven times more. When they were cast into the furnace, the king was astonished to see the Son of God walking with them in the furnace.
This account parallels with what the apostle Paul wrote hundreds of years later in Ephesians 3:20, 21, that our God “IS ABLE to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think…” Shadrach, Meshack and Abed-nego unflinchingly declared “Our God IS ABLE”, but they DIDN’T expect Him to do the “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think” part! They had no idea that God would transform the king’s heart, and that the change in him would affect the entire kingdom! When the king saw that they came out of the fire unharmed, and didn’t even smell like smoke, he was so impressed with their God, that he did three remarkable things:
1. He made a decree that no other god should be worshiped in his kingdom. God was glorified publicly!
2. He acknowledged that “there is no other god who can deliver like this”
3. He promoted the three young Hebrew men in the province of Babylon.
When His glory is at stake, God IS ABLE to do what we ask, and that’s why we can trust Him. As we trust Him, we can also praise Him because He IS ABLE to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think”. Just ask Shadrack, Meshach and Abed-nego – and let’s TRUST HIM!
WEEKLY BIBLE READING PLAN – Sept. 20-25: Knowing God Better (2)
MONDAY: Nehemiah 9:31. Reading this verse, we praise God because He is a God of _________ and ______________.
TUESDAY: Psalm 62:7. It’s reassuring to know that God is a _________________ for us!
WEDNESDAY: 2 Peter 3:9. Thankfully, our God is __________________ towards us!
THURSDAY: Jude 25. God alone is ________________________.
FRIDAY: John 3:16. Besides showing us His love for us in this verse, we understand that He is also a _____________________ God.
SATURDAY: 2 Corinthians 1:3. God is the Father of _______________ and the God of all ____________ .
BONUS: Revelation 4:8. Reading this verse carefully, we can find 3 important characteristics of God. He is _______________, ______________________, and ________________________.
Our Lavish God
Everything God does points to the fact that He is generous. He isn’t stingy, nor does He give His blessings by drips or in measurable increments. Observing His creation affirms that He does everything in a big way. How many celestial bodies are there? We can’t count them, and man doesn’t even have the capacity to know. How many grains of sand are there in the world? There’s no way we can tally them up, but He knows; He formed each one of them. Couldn’t He have been satisfied creating just one color, one kind of bird in the sky, or one fish family in the world’s oceans? Wouldn’t it be just as good with one kind of tree to grow in all areas of the earth, or simply one special fruit for all of us to eat? NO! He created countless species of each plant and animal, for His pleasure and for our enjoyment. That is the physical proof of His generosity, and the lavish nature of our Creator God.
In the spiritual realm, God is just as generous, and we have passages in the Bible confirming His lavishness. Look at some of the evidence:
GOD POURS HIS LOVE OUT IN US! Romans 5:5: “…the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
GOD POURS OUT HIS FORGIVENESS! Isaiah 55:7: “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God for He will abundantly pardon.”
GOD POURS OUT HIS MERCY! Psalm 103: 8, 17: “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy…[it is]from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him.”
GOD POURS OUT HIS SPIRIT ON US ABUNDANTLY! Titus 3:5,6: “…the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior…”
GOD POURS OUT FLOOD WATERS ON THE THIRSTY! Isaiah 44:3a: “For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground…”
GOD POURS HIS SPIRIT AND BLESSING ON OUR CHILDREN! Isaiah 44:3b: “I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your offspring.”
GOD POURS ABUNDANT BLESSING ON GIVERS! Malachi 3:10: “ ‘Bring all the tithes into the storehouse…and try my now in this’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.’ “
Unfortunately, we are often blind to God’s lavish nature. Asking for little, we settle for much less than He wants to pour out on us, and we live as spiritual paupers. God is lavish; He is generous, and His “pouring out” is always abundantly beyond what we could ever imagine. Let’s not forget how generous He is as we cry out to Him today!
“Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to HIM be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. AMEN.” ! Ephesians 3:20,21
THERE IS NOTHING TOO HARD FOR GOD!
“Ah, Lord God! Behold You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.” Jeremiah 32:17
Take a look around at God’s creation: the beauty and intensity of colors, the intricacy of shapes, the variety of sounds, textures, and flavors; the synchronization and perfection of everything He created: it -was all engineered, designed, and created by the same all-powerful, all wise God who has sustained it since its inception. Everything from the minutest detail to the most immense heavenly body was – and is – the work of His hand. All of that is visible evidence of a changeless truth: there is nothing too hard for God!
Jeremiah, a prophet of God (722 BC – 585 BC) considered all the visible evidence of a changeless truth, and expressed it to God as the opening statement of his prayer. Then he laid his concern, his burden and his worries out before God, being convinced that there is nothing too hard for Him. He understood WHO he was crying out to.
When we look to God for help, strength, wisdom, guidance; when we lay our burdens out before Him, let’s also remember WHO He is: the Maker of the heavens and the earth. With that truth in mind, let’s ask ourselves:
- Is the issue I’m struggling with too hard for Him? NO
- Can I trust Him to work out the details of this situation that is stressing me? YES
- Will He be able to handle this complex issue? YES
Let’s repeat this truth, along with Jeremiah, when we trust in God for what seems to be impossible: “There is nothing too hard for You.” Let’s believe it today as we trust Him with our cares!
WHAT IF IT WAS BECAUSE WE PRAYED???
Our son and daughter-in-law, Dino and Erin, went to NYC for a vacation this past weekend. They got back on Sunday, May 2, the day after the NYC failed car bomb. That evening, Dino called and told us it was about 8 blocks from the hotel where they were staying, and they did a lot of walking around that area. Later Jorge and I asked the question: “What if that bomb didn’t go off because we prayed for their safety? What if God allowed the right person to be there just at the right time, tell the right authorities and have the whole destructive plan dismantled – because we prayed?” I “googled” in NYC car bomb, and there were about 18,100,000 results that popped up in 0.16 seconds. What if it was because we prayed??
We may never know. And it really doesn’t matter. But what we know for sure is that when we pray to our Heavenly Father, we know exactly who we are praying to. Every time we lift up the name of our children, or any loved one, or ask Him to intervene in any situation, we are praying to the unchangeable, all-powerful, all-wise, eternal God!
He is the same God who Daniel prayed to. God shut the lion’s mouth and Daniel walked out of the lion’s den unharmed. (Daniel chapter 6)
He is the same God who Hannah cried out to because she could not have children. God blessed her with a son – the prophet Samuel – who Hannah dedicated to the Lord’s service. (1st Samuel 1)
He is the same God that King Hezekiah of Judah pleaded with when the Assyrian king threatened to wage war against him. God’s angel took care of the 185,000 Assyrians during the night. (2nd Kings 18-19)
He is the same God that King Asa of Judah cried out to when the Ethiopians came out against his people, a million strong. The Lord struck the Ethiopians, and the Ethiopians fled, were overthrown and could not recover. (2nd Chronicles 20)
He is the same God that the prophet Elijah fervently prayed to, and God withheld rain for 3 ½ years. “And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain…” (James 5: 17, 18 and 1st Kings chapters 17, 18)
He is the same God that the early church constantly prayed to when Peter was in prison facing sure execution. God sent his angel to escort Peter out of the prison. (Acts 12:5-17)
He is the same God who invites us in Jeremiah 33:3: “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” HE IS THE GOD WE PRAY TO!…Maybe it WAS because we prayed…
