Within Reach

 

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A couple of years back, I was listening to several sermons by David Wilkerson and I remember being wowed by the words and the testimony he had of leaving everything behind and following God's leading. As I listened and wondered about his experiences, I also pondered on the various Bible stories. I thought of them all as experiences that happen to other people and concluded I was in the back of the line as pertains to God. I misguidedly thought God had reserved those experiences for "certain people" and I did not fall within that category. Some months later some events in my personal life took place and there was literally no one I could turn to. I turned my attention to God. The prayers I prayed during that time were not following the formulas given by guides, they were crying prayers, angry prayers, despondent and desperate prayers. My prayers took a turn and I wondered whether God was listening and in the midst of it I heard the words, "BE STILL!" They sounded like thunder, they held reassurance and at the same time power. I was shook. I had considered myself at the back of the line and here was God speaking directly. As the days and weeks went by I came to the conclusion that perhaps God heard me and just maybe He is within reach. Months rolled by and the confirmation and conviction grew stronger that indeed God is within reach. When men and women share their testimonies about how God touched their lives, when we read about encounters in the Bible and look at our own lives we should feel inspired, encouraged and excited looking forward to see how God moves in our lives. These stories shouldn't cast a shadow on our lives(something the enemy would relish) instead they should inspire us to pray boldly, cast our nets wide in the expectations of what God can and will do in our lives and in the lives of those around us. 

Understand God is Able 

God tells us in His Word the earth and everything in it was made by Him and belongs to Him. He measured everything out and He makes it all work reliably, day after day, season after season and year after year. He is the Mighty and Sovereign Lord over all. There is no situation too great that He cannot intervene. You and I can ask Him to help and trust in His ability to change a situation, to change us or to change the people around us.

God is Interested in the Details

 

Photo by Noah Buscher on Unsplash 

God cares about the big things and the little things. He is concerned with the details. It is tempting to think that maybe He only cares about the bigger details and pays no attention to the smaller details. He shows us in His word He cares about the earth, the environment and especially us, His people. One time I was taking photos of some wriggly caterpillars in the garden and one was all bright green with hair and the other had a pattern of red and black and hairs all over. God took His time making these little creatures and making them beautiful. The God who made them is interested in the details in your life. Where could you invite God today that you had previously overlooked?

God is nearer than you think

When we read accounts of the Old Testament for example when Naaman sought Elisha, we can be tempted to think that God is far away and we have to journey to get to Him. With the New Coveneant and with Jesus as our Mediator we have access to God at any moment. You can call to God and He will hear and answer. God will listen, rescue, answer, save, change what needs changing and set you always on the right path.

The Bigger Picture 

 

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash 

Imagine going on a walk with a child and you being much taller can see ahead so you keep steering the child left or right to avoid harm, and leading them on the smoother path. God is our Father and He sees the bigger picture, coming to Him means relinquishing our strength, ideas, version of how things should go and falling in line with His plan. God sees ahead. He sees the potholes, the pits, the traps, the danger and He will lead you in the right path. Even when you and I pray, we ought to remember the part, "...your will be done." Once we utter these words, we are surrendering to His plan and His plan includes the rest of humanity. Sometimes God will keep you somewhere a little longer than you would personally wish as a way of reaching out to another, to teach you certain virtues and to even grow your faith. The God who was able to divide the Red Sea for the Israelites to cross is able to divide whatever needs dividing for you to walk through to the other side and He is a consistent God who never changes. Trust Him today and trust His plan as it unfolds daily in your life.

Scripture 

 

Photo by Jessica Mangano on Unsplash  

 Psalms 105:25-27

Psalms 24:1

Revelation 1:8, 21:6, 22:13

Exodus 14

Genesis 1

Isaiah 46:9-11

Job 38-41 

Leave a comment and share this with someone who needs this encouragement today. 

 

 

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