Who Knows?
By Linda Riley, LMFT
When King David took Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, God told him through the prophet Nathan that because of this great sin, the son born to them would die. After this the child became ill. David pleaded with God for his child. He fasted and spent the nights lying on the ground praying and refusing to eat. The child died on the seventh day. David’s servants feared telling David, as he may do something desperate. But when David heard the news, he got up, washed, changed his clothes and worshipped God. Then he requested food and he ate. His servants were puzzled by his behavior and asked him; "why did you fast and weep when the child was alive and get up and eat now that the child is dead?" David’s answer is interesting; he responded “while the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, WHO KNOWS? the Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live. But now that he is dead, why should I fast, can I bring him back again? I will go to him but he will not return to me." Then David comforted his wife and God gave them another child. This story implies several things: fasting and prayer can change God’s mind, sinful behavior brings bad consequences and lastly we can ask God for anything, but we must accept His will in all things.
Have you ever thought, WHO KNOWS, God could do this or that, when you pray? Living the Christian life means always looking for God’s footprints in our circumstances yet always accepting those circumstances and moving forward in faith. Perhaps we should ask ourselves this question more often when we petition God and lay our hearts desires at His feet. The question implies that although we don’t know what God will do next in our lives, we recognize that He could do anything and isn’t that where faith begins? Is it possible that we often don’t even recognize that “ all things are possible for those who believe." I like the story of the father who brought his son to Jesus to heal him and he says; “If you can?" And Christ challenges this and states that everything is possible for those who believe. The father then says to Jesus, “I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief." Would our prayers be more effective if we actually remembered when we pray that nothing is too hard for God.
I encourage you to pray big because God is infinite. Cultivate an attitude of, I can not wait to see what you will do God! God created us to have a sense of awe and He knows we enjoy thrills and need highs once in awhile. Is it possible that our insecurity often overwhelms us with fear and doubt, resulting in never actually asking God to do something awesome? Other times, we just focus too much on the hopelessness of our circumstances rather than focus on the Majesty of Christ. Another obstacle that possibly prevents us from praying big is our sincere awareness that we don’t really deserve it. We need to remember that victory isn’t about what we deserve but who we serve.
Jesus clearly told us while He was here on earth that whatever we ask for in prayer, believe it and we will receive it. Oswald Chambers defines the spiritual discipline of perseverance as more than endurance. He says, “it is endurance combined with absolute assurance and certainty that what we are looking for is going to happen." Do we hesitate from asking for our hearts desires because we don’t want to give Jesus a chance to disappoint us, or as Chambers puts it, "our fear is that the things Jesus stood for, love, justice, forgiveness and kindness will not be an attainable goal for us. "
Shouldn't we be frequently asking, WHO KNOWS, and therefore living our lives in a constant state of anticipatory excitement. We will never know what God will do next in our lives but we must know that He is always present and He is interested in all the littlest details of our experiences. Expect Him to show up in real ways continually. He cares about our hopes and our dreams and if we are faithful and willing to wait for His timing, He will fulfill them. WHO KNOWS, what He can and will do for you if you seek Him in total faith.
Written by: Linda Riley, A Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and Certified Sex Counselor who has counseled family's and couples for over 22 years. Her focus has been with enriching relationships and understanding relationship dynamics.
When King David took Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, God told him through the prophet Nathan that because of this great sin, the son born to them would die. After this the child became ill. David pleaded with God for his child. He fasted and spent the nights lying on the ground praying and refusing to eat. The child died on the seventh day. David’s servants feared telling David, as he may do something desperate. But when David heard the news, he got up, washed, changed his clothes and worshipped God. Then he requested food and he ate. His servants were puzzled by his behavior and asked him; "why did you fast and weep when the child was alive and get up and eat now that the child is dead?" David’s answer is interesting; he responded “while the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, WHO KNOWS? the Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live. But now that he is dead, why should I fast, can I bring him back again? I will go to him but he will not return to me." Then David comforted his wife and God gave them another child. This story implies several things: fasting and prayer can change God’s mind, sinful behavior brings bad consequences and lastly we can ask God for anything, but we must accept His will in all things.
Have you ever thought, WHO KNOWS, God could do this or that, when you pray? Living the Christian life means always looking for God’s footprints in our circumstances yet always accepting those circumstances and moving forward in faith. Perhaps we should ask ourselves this question more often when we petition God and lay our hearts desires at His feet. The question implies that although we don’t know what God will do next in our lives, we recognize that He could do anything and isn’t that where faith begins? Is it possible that we often don’t even recognize that “ all things are possible for those who believe." I like the story of the father who brought his son to Jesus to heal him and he says; “If you can?" And Christ challenges this and states that everything is possible for those who believe. The father then says to Jesus, “I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief." Would our prayers be more effective if we actually remembered when we pray that nothing is too hard for God.
I encourage you to pray big because God is infinite. Cultivate an attitude of, I can not wait to see what you will do God! God created us to have a sense of awe and He knows we enjoy thrills and need highs once in awhile. Is it possible that our insecurity often overwhelms us with fear and doubt, resulting in never actually asking God to do something awesome? Other times, we just focus too much on the hopelessness of our circumstances rather than focus on the Majesty of Christ. Another obstacle that possibly prevents us from praying big is our sincere awareness that we don’t really deserve it. We need to remember that victory isn’t about what we deserve but who we serve.
Jesus clearly told us while He was here on earth that whatever we ask for in prayer, believe it and we will receive it. Oswald Chambers defines the spiritual discipline of perseverance as more than endurance. He says, “it is endurance combined with absolute assurance and certainty that what we are looking for is going to happen." Do we hesitate from asking for our hearts desires because we don’t want to give Jesus a chance to disappoint us, or as Chambers puts it, "our fear is that the things Jesus stood for, love, justice, forgiveness and kindness will not be an attainable goal for us. "
Shouldn't we be frequently asking, WHO KNOWS, and therefore living our lives in a constant state of anticipatory excitement. We will never know what God will do next in our lives but we must know that He is always present and He is interested in all the littlest details of our experiences. Expect Him to show up in real ways continually. He cares about our hopes and our dreams and if we are faithful and willing to wait for His timing, He will fulfill them. WHO KNOWS, what He can and will do for you if you seek Him in total faith.
Written by: Linda Riley, A Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and Certified Sex Counselor who has counseled family's and couples for over 22 years. Her focus has been with enriching relationships and understanding relationship dynamics.
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