Have you ever been offended when someone asked you to do something, but obviously did not believe you could accomplish the task at hand? You were probably thinking, “Why ask me to do it in the first place, if you do not think I can do it?” At this point, some of us might unknowingly get a bit of an attitude about things, and say, “Perhaps you should do it yourself.” Now, imagine this being a dialogue between you and God. How many times do we ask Him for things, with a heart that doesn’t really know for sure that He is listening, or that He will even take action?
Why is this? Well, there are numerous possible reasons and I will focus upon one, which has been on my heart of late. I truly believe that we forget who God is and what He has done! Have you ever noticed how often the Israelites call to remembrance God’s awesome acts and miracles? I honestly feel that it is because in their daily lives, just like ours, we can become so involved with our own “stuff,” that we simply forget what God is capable of, and we must make a concerted effort to sometimes recall that the creator of the universe and being by whom we wake each morning – not just by some magical “God-in –the-sky” kind of feat, but through miraculous scientific methods – can do anything.
Yes, God can do anything, the caveat being, it may occur in His own time, which we know is a lot different than our own timelines. Psalms 75 (NIV) reads,
We give thanks to you, O God…men tell of your wonderful deeds. You say, “I choose the appointed time; it is I who judge uprightly."
Psalms 77 (NIV) goes on to read:
Then I thought, “To this I will appeal: the years of the right hand of the Most High.” I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.
A few years ago, during a Beth Moore study, I personally found that for some of the “smaller” things, I would certainly entrust them to God in prayer. These usually consisted of personal issues or things friends or family were dealing with. But for the larger, global issues – no prayers. The issues were just too big and overwhelming and I simply did not know where to begin. This was until Ms. Moore chided the audience about this and encouraged us to “Pray big.” The media is oversaturated with images and stories of unspeakable atrocities, famines, economic downturns and such. It can be difficult to know how to play your individual role in helping. Often times, it seems impossible that “little old you” can even put a dent in such global disasters. However, this could not be further from the truth.
Recently, with the terrible famine in the Horn of Africa, I remembered to think and then to pray - big. First, I thought of how I might make a small donation to a charity in order to do my part. Then, I felt in my spirit that I was not in this alone. I had an entire church family who could be called upon to help! In addition to my prayers, and sparking dialogue, I presented the question to my pastor, who then eventually took it to the entire church and began what will become a month’s worth of special offerings, which may be matched by our benevolent fund. Now, a greater impact can be made, by engaging more people in the Body of Christ. It may be that your group consists of friends and family. Whatever the case, when we think and pray big – we can then have the confidence to take the first steps in helping, by acting locally.
Granted, there is a time to “be still,” as the psalmist said. However, I have friends, a newlywed couple, who have what I feel is a brilliant saying to one another. “Yes, Dear… with action.” Instead of only lip-service, they are promising to follow-through on whatever was said. Perhaps, when it comes to moving forward when led to face global issues, we too, can say an enthusiastic, “Yes, Lord…with Action” in our own lives.
~ ~ ~
Sharing her heart with others and opening positive communication through writing is a strong passion of Yolanda F. Johnson .
Yolanda currently resides in New York, where she is an opera singer and arts administrator. She has many things to share about Christianity, as related to current events and arts/culture.
Recently, Yolanda was appointed as the Foundation for Post Conflict Development's Representative to the United Nations.
Have you ever been offended when someone asked you to do something, but obviously did not believe you could accomplish the task at hand? You were probably thinking, “Why ask me to do it in the first place, if you do not think I can do it?” At this point, some of us might unknowingly get a bit of an attitude about things, and say, “Perhaps you should do it yourself.” Now, imagine this being a dialogue between you and God. How many times do we ask Him for things, with a heart that doesn’t really know for sure that He is listening, or that He will even take action?
Yes, God can do anything, the caveat being, it may occur in His own time, which we know is a lot different than our own timelines. Psalms 75 (NIV) reads,
We give thanks to you, O God…men tell of your wonderful deeds. You say, “I choose the appointed time; it is I who judge uprightly."
Psalms 77 (NIV) goes on to read:
Then I thought, “To this I will appeal: the years of the right hand of the Most High.” I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.
A few years ago, during a Beth Moore study, I personally found that for some of the “smaller” things, I would certainly entrust them to God in prayer. These usually consisted of personal issues or things friends or family were dealing with. But for the larger, global issues – no prayers. The issues were just too big and overwhelming and I simply did not know where to begin. This was until Ms. Moore chided the audience about this and encouraged us to “Pray big.” The media is oversaturated with images and stories of unspeakable atrocities, famines, economic downturns and such. It can be difficult to know how to play your individual role in helping. Often times, it seems impossible that “little old you” can even put a dent in such global disasters. However, this could not be further from the truth.
Granted, there is a time to “be still,” as the psalmist said. However, I have friends, a newlywed couple, who have what I feel is a brilliant saying to one another. “Yes, Dear… with action.” Instead of only lip-service, they are promising to follow-through on whatever was said. Perhaps, when it comes to moving forward when led to face global issues, we too, can say an enthusiastic, “Yes, Lord…with Action” in our own lives.
~ ~ ~Sharing her heart with others and opening positive communication through writing is a strong passion of Yolanda F. Johnson .
Yolanda currently resides in New York, where she is an opera singer and arts administrator. She has many things to share about Christianity, as related to current events and arts/culture.
Recently, Yolanda was appointed as the Foundation for Post Conflict Development's Representative to the United Nations.