This is what You can do...

We were discussing a particular serious problem that concerned us. It was complicated and seemed to be one of those "impossible" situations. We had already made it a matter of prayer but the topic of discussion at this point was just how God could answer those prayers.

A number of people chimed in. One would say, " He could.... [do this]" Another would say, "He could...[do that]." Together the group came up with a number of possible ways for God to work out this situation.

Then someone else threw in what was the kicker for me... it was a statement I HAVE NEVER FORGOTTEN, even with my poor memory, and it has served me well for many, many years. When I'm praying for "impossible" situations it often comes back to my mind.

"Well, I guess after we get it all figured out for Him, He'll be able to do it."

That simple statement has helped me so much. When I'm praying about complicated situations, I remind myself over and over, "I don't have to figure out HOW GOD CAN DO THIS in order for Him to be able to get it done."

In fact, it's that we can figure out HOW He can do it that increases our "faith" that He can... which really is NOT faith at all... but human reasoning. Faith is believing God can do what we can't see (or figure out).

I was reminded of this again as I was reading my Bible this week. I'm still in the Old Testament. This is from 2 Kings 8:1-6

Then spake Elisha unto the woman, whose son he had restored to life, saying, Arise, and go thou and thine household, and sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn: for the LORD hath called for a famine; and it shall also come upon the land seven years. And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God: and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years. And it came to pass at the seven years' end, that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines: and she went forth to cry unto the king for her house and for her land.

And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done. And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored a dead body to life, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land.

And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life. And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed unto her a certain officer, saying, Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now.

You can believe whatever you CHOOSE to believe, but I BELIEVE God lined up those events so that when that woman got to the king, he already was reminded of her and was in a positive frame of mind toward her.

I believe God has lined up events in my life the same way. Time after time, in looking back, I can see how God has ordered my life to answer my prayers. I stand in awe of the way He works. But, at the time certain things were happening, I had no clue that those events were part of God's BIG plan to take care of the problems I was earnestly seeking Him to resolve.

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