Weekly Magazine | How Big is Your God?
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How Big is Your God?
By: Debbie W. Wilson
My teenaged heart awoke to God while lying on a dock staring at stars visible only to someone away from city lights. The smell of the marsh, the rhythmic lap of the river, and the chirping night symphony cast a spell that made me feel small, yet part of something magnificent. David surely felt this magic when he wrote, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” (Ps. 19:1).
Abraham also felt it. “For the Scriptures tell us, ‘Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith’” (Rom. 4:3, NLT). Genesis says this happened while he gazed at the stars.
Abraham had just defeated four wicked kings to rescue his nephew Lot, and he’d given up his rightful monetary reward. Perhaps he worried these kings would seek retribution. Or, in hindsight, had he been foolish not to take his fair share of the booty? Maybe he was just worn out from battle. Whatever his state, God understood and said, “Don’t fear, Abraham. I am your great reward.”
Now, if God spoke to you and said He was your great reward, how would you respond? Would you bow speechless and amazed? Would you leap for joy?
Abraham said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless” (Gen. 15:2)? In other words, “What I want is a son.”
“What can you give me?” Whoa, Abraham. Don’t you know to whom you’re talking?
His reply reminds me of the little girl who prayed, “Thank you for the baby brother—but I prayed for a puppy.”
GOD CARES ABOUT OUR DEEPEST LONGINGS
Abraham wanted a son. Did his frankness offend God? No. Abraham and God were close. Abraham didn’t need to fake a pious response. God understood his disappointments and longings. In fact, God had initiated the idea of Abraham being a father (Acts 7:5).
God promised Abraham would indeed have a son who would be his own flesh and blood. Then God took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them. And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness” (Gen. 15:5–6, NASB).
I picture a long pause as Abraham considered the starry hosts. Count the stars? Impossible! But Abraham continued to gaze into the heavens anyway. The cold lump of disappointment he’d carried melted as he watched new stars emerge.
Belief warmed his core and spilled out in laughter and tears. Yes, he would become the father of many. The Creator, the One who spoke worlds into being, would do this.
What has discouraged you or left you feeling powerless? Have you brought it to God? Maybe it’s time for a little stargazing. Impossible problems are no problem for a big God.
Why would counting billions of stars help Abraham believe he would father a son? God gave Isaiah similar instructions. “Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name. Because of his great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing” (Isa. 30:26, NLT).
Notice the scene with Abraham again.
“Now look . . . and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then Abraham “believed in the Lord.”
Abraham began to count the stars and was overcome. Who was this who spoke to him? Nothing was impossible to the Creator of all of this. The New American Standard Bible says he believed in God, and God counted his faith as righteousness.
The promise of a son was no longer remote when Abraham saw the size of God. The promise of great nations coming from an infertile couple was nothing to the Creator of the Milky Way.
In the end, God took Abraham’s weakness and turned it into a staggering promise. Not one heir, Abraham—billions.
What has discouraged you or left you feeling powerless? Have you brought it to God? Maybe it’s time for a little stargazing. Impossible problems are no problem for a big God.
THE STRENGTH OF WEAKNESS
Not being able to get what we want with our own strength carries benefits. Abraham and Sarah couldn’t produce a son the natural way. They had to rely on God. Faith, not sight, kept their hope alive.
Which is the greater challenge for God: To create a child from a couple past childbearing ages or to change a sinner into a saint? To heal a broken bone or to heal a broken heart? Nothing is “too hard for the Lord” (Gen. 18:14). It doesn’t matter if your challenge is physical, spiritual, or relational; the God of Abraham has the power to create something new.
As Abraham’s faith enabled him to have a son at age one hundred, our faith empowers us to “produce love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Gal. 5:22–23, NLT) and to make disciples through the Holy Spirit’s power (Acts 1:8). Faith keeps hope vibrant when circumstances appear hopeless.
Abraham’s faith grew stronger as his situation grew bleaker. It is as though he said, “Wow, God, this is going to be some miracle.” And it was.
Our inability to gain what we want can discourage us or refocus us. If something I want is not God’s will, then do I really want it? If it is His will, then can my helplessness stop God’s power? Instead of asking, “Am I able?” we ask, “Am I available?” Focusing on being available instead of on being able plants my trust in His ability—not my own.
Have you been standing on a promise and things now look worse instead of better? Remember Abraham and let your impossible situation feed your faith. Life-giving power is released through faith in a Big God.
Adapted from Little Faith, Big God.
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Hope in the Storm
By: Gail Goolsby
The list of difficulties that often batter our lives may seem endless. Problems regarding money, marriage, children, work, unemployment, injury, legal issues, etc. can hit with no more notice than a hurricane or life-threatening illness. We can do our best to prepare and guard ourselves and possessions against disasters, but we cannot escape the eventual personal experience of pain and catastrophe. Yet, God has answers for us in the storm. And no storm, no matter how threatening, can ever take away our hope and promise of heaven…
Soul Refreshment
HEBREWS 6:19 (NLT)
“This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.”
There is One Hope
By: Connie Fink
There is one hope, one bright light to this dark world, to lives of despair, to hopeless situations. The hope is that “…Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” (Hebrews 9:18) His sacrifice secured an incredible inheritance—we have the promise of eternity with the Loving God! It is sealed and guaranteed to those who trust Him. Do you know – really know – that Jesus’s sacrifice was necessary for you? It is your only hope…
Heavenly Father, grant us the assurance of Your unfailing love and unwavering presence, that we may find refuge in the shelter of Your wings and courage in the shadow of Your might. Help us to trust in Your sovereignty, knowing that nothing is too difficult for You, and that You are always working all things together for our good.
In the midst of life's storms, may Your peace, which surpasses all understanding, fill us with hope that transcends the trials of this world, anchoring our souls to the promises of Your faithfulness and the certainty of Your victory
Lord, we confess our need for You in every moment, especially when the storms of life threaten to overwhelm us. Strengthen our faith and empower us to stand firm in Your promises, knowing that You are with us always, guiding us, sustaining us, and carrying us through every trial and tribulation.
Thank You, Father, for Your boundless love and Your unwavering faithfulness. May Your peace reign in our hearts, and may Your hope fill us with courage and confidence to face whatever lies ahead. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
What is something that has really resonated with you in this week’s mini-magazine?