Vol. 19 No. 39 | October 1, 2017
Have you ever laughed at God?
A friend made a request of God that seemed outlandish. She boldly asked God to intervene and basically fix her son’s marriage. When you heard what she had prayed for, you couldn’t help but laugh. You gently tried to remind her that God doesn’t work like that, but she doesn’t care what you think. She is desperate and believes God can do it, so she asked.
A few weeks later you saw your friend again and asked how things were going with her son’s marriage. She immediately began to cry. “You cannot imagine what God has done. The very day I started praying for he and his wife, my son had lunch with an older gentleman from his church and shared what was going on. The man listened to him, prayed with him, gave him the name of a Christian counselor, and promised to stay in touch with him. He and his wife made an appointment, and after three sessions with the counselor, my son called and told me things have greatly improved and they are on the road to recovery.” Perhaps you shouldn’t have laughed, you thought to yourself
At the dinner table, your wife mentioned a friend from church who received a frightening diagnosis from her doctor. This friend has meant a lot to your family through the years, so your wife suggests that the family remember to pray for her. Later that night, you are putting your son to bed, and he begins to pray, “Dear God, please take care of Mrs. Thomas. She is really sick and we want her to get well. We don’t want her to die.” You kissed him on his forehead and smiled at his innocence as you walked out of the room. When you shared it with your wife, her eyes welled up with tears as she said, “Well, I said we needed to pray for her.”
For the next two weeks when you put your son to bed, he prayed the same prayer for Mrs. Thomas. And when the family prayed at meals, he reminded whomever was praying to pray for Mrs. Thomas. Then one night, just as you were about to sit down for dinner, your wife receives a call from Mrs. Thomas. All you heard was, “Oh, I am so thankful and happy for you. Thank you so much for calling.” She wiped tears from her eyes as she sat down. “That was Mrs. Thomas. She’s okay. The doctor told her today the tests showed that everything is clear.” Your son listened intently, and as your wife finished talking, he did a fist pump “Yes!”
There is a scene in the Jesus story where He was laughed at for doing the seemingly impossible.
While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.
Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.
When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep. “But they laughed at him. After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. News of this spread through all that region. (Matthew 9:18-26, NIV)
Is there something you want to ask God to do, but you are hesitant because it seems like too much to ask? Please, ask.
Are you seeking God’s help in a situation that seems hopeless? Please, keep seeking.
Are you knocking on a door that has not opened, and you are beginning to wonder if it will ever open? Please, keep knocking.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7, NIV)
The more I learn about the way our Father works, the more I am reminded that He loves to do the impossible, surprise the unsuspecting, convince the doubter, and amaze even the believers. Laugh if you want, but I choose to believe.
Tom
A Norvell Note © Copyright 2017 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved