Are You Limiting God?

*June 29, 2018

“For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” - Isaiah 55:9 NLT

This verse has been on my mind a lot lately. I don’t think I fully understood the meaning behind it when I read it years ago. I just thought, God is powerful, ok. What I didn’t realize is how this verse and the ones following it are much more thought provoking and powerful than I had originally thought. 

We often try to rationalize things in life. When hardships come our way, much too often we pray for God to take it away or fix it, and if he doesn’t, we get angry with him. Or, there’s the other end of the spectrum, when something bad happens to someone they may just throw their hands up in the air in defeat, and not even ask God to help or for healing in the situation, because they think that it’s not possible. But let me tell you this… Both of these scenarios (and I have experienced both), are perfect examples of us limiting God.

God cannot be put in a box. With God, all things are possible. He is altogether good, and infinitely wise. He is incapable of wrong or of sin. That doesn’t mean life is going to be easy for us, especially as Christians. The word of God tells us that we absolutely will face hardships. The thing is, it’s up to us how we choose to respond to those hardships.

I can tell you from personal experience, choosing the way of anger is painful and long. I can also tell you that choosing the way of doubting God’s power, is also painful and long. I took this route for a long few years before God shook up my life and set me back on my feet after showing me an ounce of his infinite sovereignty. 

If we want to see God work, if we want to experience His power, and see Him perform miracles in our lives – we need to know our place. We need to get humble. 

humble : /adjective/ having or showing a modest or low estimate of one’s own importance.

To estimate our importance as “low” is something that is extremely difficult for us humans. Especially in the day and age of “do what makes you feel good”, and “you do you”, etc. This world has become so entitled. But God’s word tells us, “Man is like a breath of air; their days are like a passing shadow.” - Psalm 144:4.

We’ve got to realize our place. God loves us so incredibly much, but he also knows that we are a detriment to ourselves, that left alone to our devices, we would fall to pieces. We need him. He created us and he knows us better than anyone, better than we know ourselves. We must learn to let go of our pride and to be humble before God. We must learn to accept that we won’t always understand what God is doing, or why he is doing it, and we may never find out in this lifetime why certain things had to happen. But we can trust, knowing that God is good and he loves us, that there was purpose in all of it.

“As long as you are proud, you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.” - C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

We’ve got to wrap our minds around the fact that God is B I G . He is mighty. He is powerful. He has no limits to what He is able to do. But when we, mere humans, close our minds and our hearts to Him and who He truly is, we lose out in the end. When you wait expectantly to see God move in your life, HE WILL MOVE. He will work in big ways. But if you aren’t expecting to see Him work in your life, it shows Him that you don’t have faith in Him, that you don’t know His character. Because if you did know Him, truly know of His love for you, of His goodness, you would have faith in even the situations that seem hopeless.

“Wait passionately for God, don’t leave the path. He’ll give you your place in the sun while you watch the wicked lose it.” - Psalm 37:34 [The Message]

***

“Take a long, hard look. See how great he is – infinite, greater than anything you could ever imagine or figure out! He pulls water up out of the sea, distills it, and fills up his rain-cloud cisterns. Then the skies open up and pour out soaking showers on everyone. Does anyone have the slightest idea how this happens? How he arranges the clouds, how he speaks in thunder? Just look at that lightning, his sky-filling light show illuminating the dark depths of the sea! These are symbols of his sovereignty, his generosity, his loving care. Hurls arrows of light, taking sure and accurate aim. The High God roars in the thunder, angry against evil.” - Job 36:26-33 [The Message]

***

God’s love is meteoric,
his loyalty astronomic,
His purpose titanic,
His verdict oceanic.
Yet in his largeness
nothing gets lost;
Not a man, not a mouse,
slips through the cracks.

How exquisite your love, O God!
How eager we are to run under your
wings,
To eat our fill at the banquet you spread
as you fill our tankards with Eden spring
water.
You’re a fountain of cascading light,
and you open our eyes to light.

- Psalm 36:5-9 [The Message]

I encourage you all to take some time and ask God, if you have a truly humble heart. Ask Him to show you areas in which you are doubting Him and limiting his work in your life. Ask Him to reveal to you His character, his might, and his power. Take some time reading the book of Job and listen to the way God describes himself and his immense power.

Trust in the Lord
with all your heart,
And lean not
on your own
understanding;
In all your ways
acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct
your paths.

- Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV