"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20 & 21I was reading a Facebook post this morning that I wrote a year ago. It was when I announced that I was going to be making the "big" move from California to Florida. What struck me most about this post, was how I had written down very specific prayer requests. This led me to search and find two emails that I wrote around the same time. These emails where also full of prayer requests for my move. And as I read all these requests to God, I started to laugh.
Why would I laugh you ask? Because my prayers and God's answers to them, for the most part, were so different from one another.
This weekend Pastor Seth preached on prayer and several members of our church came up and shared their experiences with us. One of the things that I have always believed and is that God's ways are not our own. We can't even begin to understand His reasoning behind the way He answers prayers. This fact has been very obvious to me in my life! Even when I pray very specifically God almost always finds a way to "one up" me.
One of our members, shared a story of faithfulness to us that really touched my heart. She, like so many of us "creatives" out there, dictates out her prayer requests in a journal. Because of this fact, she was able to share a beautiful story of God's faithfulness through the answered prayer for a friend of hers. Part of the beauty of her having written down her prayers, was that she was able to share them with her friend in a way that truly gave God praise and honor! Today I am reminded of this story and see so much more the importance of writing out prayers and events of God's faithful answer.
His faithfulness and love shines in the prayers and answers below:
- I asked God specifically for a 2 bedroom apartment close to church in Winter Springs...I ended up with a 3 bedroom house in Oviedo that is an 8 minute drive from church!
- I asked God for $5000 to move...He gave me $7300!
- I asked God for 20 full-time (60 minute weekly sessions) voice students...He gave me 18 students so far that fit in that category but 135 at One School of The Arts that also fit that category but are taught in groups. LOL
Yes God definitely has a sense of humor! He loves to bless His children above and beyond what they ask for! "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think..."
At times, we can look at the above testimony and think...well why be so specific in prayer? Just ask for God's will to be done, it's obviously way better than our own! But I think the reason we are to ask, is just that!
We are to ask so that we can physically see that God's ways are better than our own. If we don't ask, God doesn't have to opportunity to bless us and we don't have a measuring point to see...
"that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:18 &19
God loves surprise blessings! For those of you who are parents...when your child asks you for something, don't you, most of the time, want to do what ever you can to provide it for them? And when that heart behind their request is humble and pure...don't you want to bless them all the more?
God loves to see us smile; He loves to hear the praises and gratitude of His children.
"So I say to you ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." Jesus in Luke 1: 9 & 10.Give God the opportunity to "one up" you! Trust me, it blesses Him just as much as it does you!
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