God Is AbleSample

God Is Able to Exceed Our Expectations

“Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah. Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me; There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god. I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.” (Psalm 81:7–10)

Have you ever felt like you were imposing on someone? You needed help or time or a favor of some kind, but you hesitated to ask because you didn’t want to be a burden. Many of us are tempted to carry that mindset into our prayer life. We come to God with our needs, but we hesitate. We hold back. We do not “open our mouths wide” because somewhere in our hearts we wonder if we are asking too much. But the truth is very different. God delights in the prayers of His children because He delights in displaying His power on their behalf.

God repeatedly points back to the crossing of the Red Sea—nearly four dozen times throughout Scripture—to remind us of His unlimited power. He wants us to remember that He is never stretched, strained, or exhausted by the needs of His people. In fact, His power goes far beyond what we can even imagine. “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20–21).

Asking God to do great things is not based on us being great, but on Him being great. A humble heart can seek God without doubt or fear. Daniel prayed, “O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies” (Daniel 9:18).

Today’s Takeaway: Since God’s power is unlimited, we need never be afraid that we are asking too much of Him.