We don’t often think of God being powerful IN our problems. Oftentimes, when our problems won’t seem to go away, we wonder where God’s power is, right?
How many times have you prayed for something, believing that God would do it…but He didn’t?
How many times have you asked God to move in a mighty way on your behalf, or for someone else…but He didn’t?
It’s in those times where I can either believe that God’s not powerful or His power is being shown in a different way. God might have the power to take away my problems, but His power is greatest shown in helping me endure! Did you get that? I don’t think the greatest show of God’s power is in removing problems, it’s in giving me the strength to endure.
I was reminded of this recently as I was reading through one of the miracle stories in the Gospel of John. In John 9, Jesus and His disciples come across a man who had been blind from birth. The disciples call attention to the man by asking Jesus, “Why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” Jesus’ answer in verse three stood out to me.
John 9:3 “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.”
Jesus goes on to heal the man of his blindness, which caused quite a stir among the Jewish religious community. Now, you might be thinking, “I thought you were talking about when God DOESN’T take my problem away? He healed this man.” And yes, this man was healed. His problem was removed. But as I read those words of Jesus, I wrote this in my journal.
“The same is true when God DOESN’T heal!” Even if Jesus doesn’t heal, protect, or take the problem away, His power can still be seen in us! In fact, God’s power is not seen most when He takes away my problem, His power is seen most when He gives me the strength to endure.
If there is a God, the world expects that God to heal, protect, and make our lives problem free. What the world doesn’t expect is to see the followers of this God remain faithful to Him even when He doesn’t seem to come through on their behalf. I think our faith in God stands out more when we endure problems through God’s power, not when He removes us from experiencing any problems.
What “problems” are you facing right now? What are you praying for God to remove? By all means, pray bold prayers for God to heal, protect, and remove problems, but don’t forget that He might want to show His power first by giving you the strength to endure.
We don’t often think of God being powerful IN our problems. Oftentimes, when our problems won’t seem to go away, we wonder where God’s power is, right?