Greater than our doubts

I was at a small group leader training thing yesterday to learn more about how to be a good leader to middle school kids, and we were talking about doubt.  "When the kids doubt, it's not a bad thing!"  Someone shared a story about her daughter. This girl apparently had like 30 warts on her hands, as a side note. When realizing that her daughter hadn't been spending time with God, she asked, "don't you miss Him?" The daughter burst into tears and said honestly, "No!". Her mom encouraged her to make her faith her own by telling her to ask God for something she believed only He could do.  About 2 weeks later holding her hands, she noticed something. Shocked, she asked her daughter, "hey, are your warts gone?". "Yea" the girl responded with a smile.  She had asked God to get rid of them. He proved faithful, that He was a personal God and He was HER God.

Yesterday work was crazy, a seemingly never-ending mob of people to serve.  And so with the story of the disappearing warts clear in my mind I asked God for what I believed would be impossible without Him: to be done with my work by 11:45.  Even though people continued to dine in, work got done little by little.  After closing at 11, I continued with the pile of tasks seperating me from being done.  After hanging up the mop I call to my manager to ask her what else I can do. I was done. Just for kicks I clicked the computer screen to check the time. 11:45 on the dot. I had to smile - that's my God. 

God isn't afraid of our doubts.  By questioning our faith, it is made our own. His goodness and mighty power are unfathomable and far greater than our doubts. He is the one who created the stars and knows them by name, the one who laid the foundations of the earth and commands the sun when to rise and set. Our doubts don't change the fact that He is pure Greatness, always. I think about my own doubts that still sneak into my mind about God from time to time, and Jesus' complete authority in every situation. God has been so faithful to me in the past, yet sometimes I find myself asking if He can do it again. Sometimes I am careful about what I ask and pray about because I would rather Him save His power for a time when I really really need it, as if He has limited supply. 

FYI: He doesn't. God is waiting to pour out proof of His amazing love, if we would just give Him the chance.  Having doubts? Seriously, talk to Him right now, just you and Him.  Ask God for something you believe only He can do.  Then wait and watch as He does the impossible.

"Is Jesus amazed by your faith, or by the lack of it?"

This simple question hit my heart hard while sitting at church last Sunday.  Jesus is amazed at us. The question is, is it because of our lack of faith in His goodness, resulting in thinking that we have to make our own way in every situation in our lives and everything has to be perfectly planned out in our own minds and make logical sense to the world? OR, is Jesus amazed in a good way? Is he astounded at our faith in His promises? Trusting that He is good regardless of my circumstances and trusting Him to lead me day by day, moment by moment,  and that by being obedient to Him in the small ways He will trust me with bigger parts of His plan?  Am I loving with abandon, without regard to what I get back? Am I noticing those in need, the broken-hearted, the outcasts, those who are exhausted of what this life has to offer and searching for something else? And am I and reaching out? Can people tell there's something different about me, that's not really me at all? Am I trusting Jesus with my life instead of trying to make my life plans by my own?  So many questions, all to say is that apart from God I can do nothing of value.  I pray that this reality will consume my heart, letting the light that I've received shine in the dark places that need it most.  And letting God transfer the fire in my heart to everyone I meet, because the neat thing about fire is that using one candle to light another doesn't cause the light of the first candle to burn any less bright.  There's more than enough light to go around.  I don't think anyone can deny that there is darkness and trouble and pain in this life.  The world could use more of Jesus.