“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21
When I was a little girl, once my dad turned fifty, I was afraid he was going to die. In my young mind, I thought fifty was extremely old. However, as I've grown up, I have recognized that fifty isn't old at all. In fact, it is relatively young. By the time it took me to realize this, my dad had aged another fifteen years, and this brought him to an official senior citizen age though I had just finished college.
My mom and dad had a major age gap of almost twenty years. This has caused me to worry about my dad’s health since he is much older than my friends' dads. To say that I'm scared of him passing away would be an understatement. My dad keeps saying he is in his “seventieth year,” and this has also caused me to worry that he isn’t going to be around much longer. I’ve already lost my mom—I don’t want to lose my dad too.
It is very sad and depressing to see our parents aging. We want our parents to live forever, even if we don't have the best relationship with them. To be honest, I never thought my mom would pass away before my dad because she was so much younger, yet she did. She has been gone for almost ten years, and I have to face the rest of my life without her.
All of this to say, life is hard. There will be many situations in our lives that we wish we didn't have to go through, such as the death of our parents. It's unnatural and it's painful. Most children will outlive their parents, and it is something we have to prepare ourselves for before it happens. It is never pleasant to start thinking about these things, but it will help us in the long run to accept the reality of a fallen world.
In the midst of my fear and worry, I have turned to God. I have been praying for my dad’s health and well-being for years now. I ask God to make sure he stays alive for a few more decades as I don't know what my sisters and I would do without him. While it is unreasonable to say my dad will live until he is one hundred, I gave up doubting a while ago and just started trusting God. It is time for all of us to trust God with big prayer requests and not to be afraid of them being answered with a “No.”
Full dependence on God requires full trust. If we are completely trusting God, then we know there is nothing He cannot do. With this heart of confidence in Him, we need to bring all of our worries and requests to His feet. God never thinks any of our prayers are silly or unneeded. Instead, He cherishes each prayer and understands the pain we are experiencing.
Whenever we are doubting God's goodness, we need to remember that He is able to do more than we can imagine.
The Apostle Paul tells us, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21). From this passage of the Bible, we are told that God can do immeasurably more than anything we could dream up. This means that no prayer is too big or too extreme.
No matter what we need, we can bring it before God. He can go beyond our biggest hopes and dreams and bless us in ways we never would have imagined. Rather than doubting Him, we need to have faith in Him. He deserves our trust because He has proven Himself trustworthy. As believers, we need to give Him the praise and all the glory His faithfulness deserves.
What are you in need of today? Is it the assurance of good health and well-being for a parent? Or is it a sickness you have been facing for many years? No matter what your prayer is, bring it before God. We don't need to believe the lie that our prayers are unrealistic or unreasonable. As Paul tells us in Ephesians 3:20-21, there is nothing that God cannot do.
Rather than doubting Him, we need to trust Him with every prayer request. No matter how big or how small, God will hear our prayers and answer them in accordance with His will. God is our good, good Father, and He can do things far beyond our greatest hopes. This is because He loves us, and He will never withhold blessings from our lives (Matthew 7:7-11; James 1:17).
Let's pray:
"Dear God, I come before You today with big prayers. Please help me to not doubt You and to know that You can do all things. You can do more than I could ever imagine, and I praise You. I give You all my prayers, worries, and requests today. In Your Son’s Name, I pray, Amen.”
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Matese Fields
Related Resource: Jesus Calling - Stories of Faith
Kerry Washington, Andrea Bocelli, Reba McEntire, Mark Wahlberg, Tony Dungy, and Matthew McConaughey—what do all of these people have in common? They are all people of faith who have leaned on God in both the good and challenging times—and they’ve shown up to tell their stories of faith on The Jesus Calling Podcast. The Jesus Calling Podcast provides a place for people from all walks of life to share the heartaches, joys, and divine moments that keep them going.
Inspired by Sarah Young's classic devotional book, the Jesus Calling podcast has brought encouragement and peace to millions. New episodes drop every Thursday! Listen today on LifeAudio.com or wherever you find your podcasts.
Originally published Wednesday, 17 July 2024.
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