Weekend, October 14, 2023
Infinitely More
He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. (Mark 6:48 NLT)
After Jesus fed five thousand people with only five barley loaves and two fish, He sent His disciples across the Sea of Galilee. As they made their way over the water, a bad storm rolled in. It was so bad, in fact, they thought they were going to drown.
Meanwhile, Jesus had gone up a mountain to pray. (And no doubt He was praying for His disciples.) Even though they couldn’t see Him, Jesus could see them. And the Bible tells us that at about 3:00 a.m., He came walking toward them on the water.
This was just before the sun was beginning to rise, which means they had been fighting the storm for a long time. When Jesus came toward them, the Bible indicates that He intended to walk past them (see Mark 6:48).
But the disciples called out to Him, and He boarded their ship. Jesus appeared later than they expected. But He did return.
Sometimes, when we’re praying for someone or something, we say, “Lord, it’s getting dark. It’s getting late. You must do something now. Why haven’t You done something?”
Or, we might be discouraged and give up praying because we don’t think that God will do anything. But God has His timing as surely as He has His will. His timing is perfect. The Bible says, “God has made everything beautiful for its own time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT).
Maybe you have an illness and have prayed for God to heal you, yet nothing has happened. Don’t give up. Keep praying.
Maybe you’re praying for a prodigal child, and you’re wondering whether this child will ever come around. Don’t give up praying.
The Bible tells us the story of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, who were friends of Jesus. He would spend time at their house in Bethany. But one day Lazarus got sick. Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus, knowing He would do something. But Jesus didn’t rush back to Bethany. In fact, He stayed where He was for two more days.
By the time Jesus got there, Lazarus wasn’t sick; he was dead. He had been in the tomb for four days. Martha was angry. She ran up to Jesus and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21 NLT).
In other words, “Jesus, You blew it. We were bragging about You to all our friends.” Even Mary said the same thing. But then Jesus went to the tomb of Lazarus and raised him from the dead.
Mary and Martha wanted a healing. But Jesus wanted a resurrection.
Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think” (NLT).
Sometimes the reason God doesn’t answer our prayers the way we want Him to is because He wants to do more than we’ve asked for. And when we get to the end of ourselves, we get to the beginning of God.
Copyright © 2023 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
and
Listen to Greg Laurie's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com.
Watch Greg Laurie's weekly television broadcast on LightSource.com.
In thanks for your gift, you can receive a copy of Marvel at the Moon by Levi Lusko
In this fantastic 90-day devotional, author and pastor Levi Lusko uses illuminating stories, biblical teaching, and eye-opening surprises about outer space to show kids that they’re never alone because God is always with them. A copy of this beautifully illustrated book will be mailed to you when you make a gift of support to Harvest Ministries this month.
