Possibility Thinking, Part 3

In our last meditation we pointed out that if we really believe the Lord is able to do something to improve a difficult situation we are in, we will demonstrate that faith by asking, seeking, and knocking with importunity, that is, with persistence. We considered the teaching of our Lord on this subject as He taught His disciples to pray in Luke 11:1-13. Today let’s consider this thought further by noting the parable of the unjust judge as given us by our Lord.

Luke 18:1  And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

2  Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:

3  And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.

4  And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;

5  Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.

6  And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.

7  And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

8  I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

Now the widow in this parable obviously believed the judge was able to do something to give her relief from her adversary. And she believed that enough to cause her to come to the judge continually. She was persistent. Finally, she received what she asked for and sought. And our Lord used this story to teach “that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” So if you desire something that is not forbidden in God’s word, and you desire it so that you might serve and honour the Lord with it, then don’t give up. Ask, seek, and knock persistently! At some point, you will get an answer. It may not be exactly what you want, but it will be an answer that will help you and bring you peace.

But never forget what Jesus said when the blind men confessed that they believed He was able to heal them: “According to your faith be it unto you.” If you do not believe the Lord is able to do something to improve your situation, it will likely not happen. Hear what our Lord said:

Mark 9:23  Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

When you come to God in prayer, you must come with the faith that “all things are possible” with God. If you don’t have this faith, then you cannot pray a prayer that will please God.

Hebrews 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

God does not receive prayers that are not mixed with faith. This is evident from the following passage:

James 1:5  If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

6  But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

7  For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

If you are asking God for something and yet doubting His power to grant it, then you are wavering. You are acting like you believe God is able to grant what you pray for; after all, that is the reason you are praying. But at the same time you are doubting. Hence, you are wavering. In that case, you can put it down that you will not “receive any thing of the Lord.” When you doubt God’s ability to do what you ask, you are in effect limiting “the Holy One of Israel,” something which both provokes and grieves the Lord.

Psalms 78:40  How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!

41  Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.

42  They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy.

So it comes back to this: “Believe ye that I am able to do this?” “According to your faith be it unto you.” And this is where your personal battles will be fought. Do I believe or do I not? Do I trust the Lord or do I not? This is why our Christian warfare is called “the good fight of faith” (1Timothy 6:12). If you doubt that all things are possible with God, you are losing the battle and Satan has gained the advantage over you. Because, you see, Satan is resisted when we are “stedfast in the faith.”

1 Peter 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

9  Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

It is with “the shield of faith” that we are “able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked” (Ephesians 6:16).

And if you are struggling with nagging unbelief, then there is this prayer that a man prayed when the Lord told him that “all things are possible to him that believeth.”

Mark 9:24  And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

You see, God can help your unbelief. That is one of the endless number of things that is possible with God. I suggest you pray this prayer and do so with importunity until you begin to see your faith increasing and your unbelief diminishing. And if you are asking the Lord to increase your faith, you are obviously asking for something that pleases Him. In this case, you will receive what you ask for.

1 John 5:14  And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

15  And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

It is my prayer that this series of meditations will spur my readers to more possibility thinking as it pertains to what the Lord is able to do. Nothing but nothing that you need is impossible for God to provide. God can do anything you ask and much more. When you dare to believe and act on that faith, you may be surprised at what the Lord will do, even beyond what you imagined He might do. To be sure, He may not do just exactly what you asked. He may do something that in the outcome will be far and away better for you and others. In conclusion, let me challenge you to answer the call of this passage:

Jeremiah 33:1  Moreover the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah the second time, while he was yet shut up in the court of the prison, saying,

2  Thus saith the LORD the maker thereof, the LORD that formed it, to establish it; the LORD is his name;

3  Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.