#137: Limit!

“That couldn’t happen even if the Lord opened the windows of heaven!” said the officer assisting the king to the man of God. But Elisha replied, “You will see it happen with your own eyes, but you won’t be able to eat any of it!” (II Kings 7:2 NLT)

In Genesis 18:13&14 and Jeremiah 32:27, God asked a question to challenged our faith: "I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for me?" In this statement, God declares Himself as a limitless being in abilities. It is as though He is telling us that if we can imagine it, then He can do it. The reason why many things will not work out therefore cannot be because of God. Today the LORD will be uncovering some of our misgivings about Him that limit Him when He is determined to move on our behalf. May God grant us understanding and grace to act appropriately in unbounded total faith. Amen.

How many times have we heard the word of God and immediately, we start seeing the impossibility of it ever happening given the present circumstances? Even though this is a total lack of faith, sometimes we cloud it with some bogus religious statements like: "LORD I know there is nothing you cannot do, but for this case, have you not realized that this is a genetic case; this is what statistics have to say about this; this is what the doctor's report says. It's no point dreaming too big. Let's go for more reasonable miracles..." And in one sentence you have weakened the hand of the Almighty even after acknowledging His supremacy.

From our anchor text, the servant of the king was not a total unbeliever and that is the slippery part of this - that believers can also fall victim. The servant believed that God was able to open the windows of heaven. Yet he could not believe that God could turn the economy of the nation in a day. We believe God but have put a fence round some areas of our lives that we feel God in His supremacy cannot handle, telling God, beyond here, You cannot go. We have to activate faith in its fullness because common sense is not faith and faith is not common sense.

Consider the statement of the woman at the well:

“But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, "and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water?" John 4:11 NLT

How often do we find ourselves in this situation? Where we limit God. We question Him within the scope of our human understanding. It is obvious the woman at the well had not realised that God did not need buckets made of hands to provide the living water. He himself was the well of life, the source. Could our lack of depth in understanding the mysteries of the kingdom limit our access to kingdom promises? Why look for buckets when the well of life is willing to empty Himself into you and make streams flow out of you?

Consider again the conversation between Martha and Jesus:

21. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.

22. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”

23. Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24. “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.”

25. Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.

26. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”

27. “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.” (John 11:21‭-‬27 NLT)

We can see clearly how Martha had a great belief in Jesus and His power over death, yet did not believe her brother could be raised to life. She thought it was too late. May God deliver us from any veil that clouds our minds from the truth of His word

Thought: The danger of limiting God is so grave. It can stop the move of God. And if God is determined to still move, He will do so without us in the picture. Elisha told the doubting servant that his doubt would make not to partake of God's miracle. And it was so. Today God leaves us with a question: having heard Him speak to you, do you believe? God is ready to go heights with us? Are we limiting Him?