Stopping Short

 

Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. John 20:11

She had almost made it. But less than a dozen steps from a life-changing revelation, Mary stopped. Her eyes told her that the tomb was empty; her fear decided what that meant. The Lord, her best friend, her future was gone. All she saw was emptiness, so all she could do was cry. We now know that if she’d pressed on in faith, she would have had no reason to cry. But because she chose to view the empty tomb through the lens of defeat, she missed the miracle. We do that too.

Faith means that we don’t stand outside the answer and cry in defeat. It’s true that God’s ways and workings are sometimes impossible to understand. When we can’t see Him or hear Him, all we see emptiness, and our fears decide what that means. Like Mary, we think we see the whole picture and we react to that understanding—often in defeat. But the empty tomb did not mean what Mary thought it meant. And many times, our emptiness does not mean what we think it means either. God specializes in the impossible. What appears to be ultimate defeat is often merely the prelude to a life-changing revelation.

Maybe your emptiness does not mean what you think it means. Trust God, or you might miss the miracle.

.

Miracles Are Over, Right?

Some Christians have chosen to believe that God no longer works in our lives the way he did in the early church. The New Testament is filled with examples of God's healing power, miracles, and supernatural spiritual gifts. It would appear that God intended for us to learn something about him from all those reports, and maybe expect that the God who is "the same yesterday, today, and forever" might continue them.

"That was for then," Dr. Lofty growls over his reading glasses. "We no longer need such displays and anyone who claims to have experienced them is delusional."

Well, put me in that category.

Last night, at a very small gathering of those seeking to deepen our missionary zeal and knowledge, my young friend Jeff hobbled in on his crutches. He had torn his ACL in a soccer game and his heavily bandaged knee was swollen and could hold no weight. He was looking at surgery and weeks on crutches.

Another friend, Warren, intervened. "I think God wants to heal you, brother," he said. Gathering my son Sam, Jeff's girlfriend Linsdsey, and my nephew Tim, Warren laid hands on Jeff and they prayed for God to heal Jeff.

A few moments later, Jeff walked back into the meeting, bandage gone, putting full weight on his bad leg! He was crying as he told us what had happened minutes ago. Having watched Jeff struggle for the past week with his injured leg, I could hardly believe my eyes.

"God heals! I have no pain, zero!" he exclaimed. With radiant face, he carried his crutches out of the building.

We rejoiced together and I watched as the faith of those young leaders-of-tomorrow grew. Each of them has a call of God on their lives and He wanted to demonstrate to them in an intensely personal way his power and love. As he did in the early church, God wanted to seal in their hearts a demonstration of his "very present help in trouble."

I don't know what they face as they follow God, but I do know that no one will ever be able to reason away their solid foundation of faith in a God who listens. No doctoral degree or list of misconstrued scripture will ever strip from them the memory of crippled Jeff walking back into that meeting with no crutches.

The man with an argument is no match for the man with an experience.

Have you experienced the power of God?

Are You Overwhelmed Yet?

The job is overwhelming!

A thousand things to do and only one YOU.

How can I...?

I can't possibly...

But...but...

Ever look at the task ahead and quake in your boots?

Inadequacy taunts as you gaze wide-eyed at all that lies before you.

If you are in the season of life when the job God assigned you seems waaaay bigger than the gifts he assigned you, then this post is for you.

Hope is found in the famous story of Jesus feeding the five thousand in John 6. I was singing the Inadequacy Song one evening when I came to this story. As I began to read, God spoke:

"Pay attention. I have something to say to you."

With each verse, the meaning became clearer.

The crowds who came to hear Jesus were hungry. It was late. There was nothing to feed them but one little sack lunch--bread and some little fishies. The disciples complained to Jesus: "This is all we have, but what is it among so many?"

"Do you understand?" the Lord asked me.

Yes. I'm the bread and fish. And I'm not enough for this job You've given me.

"That's right. You're not."

Jesus told them to bring the lunch to him. He took it and gave thanks.

"Are you thanking me that you are not enough? I made you that way so that I can do it through you. Thank me even when it looks overwhelming. It is then I am about to do My work."

And after giving thanks, Jesus broke the bread and fish and began to pass it out. It kept going and going until the thousands had not a taste, but were completely filled.

"You must stay humble and broken in My hands and when you do, I will flow through you. All those I bring to you will be filled. Their needs will be met. They will not go away empty."

I blinked at the words on the page, comprehension and gratitude filling my heart.

"Keep going."

After Jesus had done such a miracle, the people wanted to make him king right then. But knowing what was in their hearts, he slipped away to meet with his Father.

"Do you understand? When I give you success, the world's way is to exalt that success, capitalize on it, expand it, publicize it. But that is not My way. When you see it coming, slip away and meet with Me. Keep doing only what I've given you to do and then I can bless it."

I understood.

And ever since, He has done just that.

As I stay broken and humble in the hands of Jesus, He accomplishes far more through me than I could ever do by myself.

If I want Lea Ann-sized results, I can try to feed the multitude with what I have. But if I want to see God-sized results, I have to stay pliable in His hands, trusting Him to do everything through me.

He did it on that hillside and He continues to do it every day.

What size results do you want?
.