We tend to expect God to act in ways we can understand. We work, and so God provides money. We pray, and so God answers prayer. We do this, and so God does that. In other words, we see God as the effect and ourselves as the cause.
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Life is all about God responding, it seems, and if we do nothing, neither will God.
This isn’t true, obviously. But it’s how we feel.
So, what if we’re in a situation where we can do nothing? What happens when we can no longer be the cause?
When God demands from you something impossible?
When We’re No Longer the Cause
When we see ourselves as the cause and God merely as Responder, our view of God is weak. We have limitations. God has none.
When the Lord surprised Abraham by telling him his wife, Sarah, would have a son in a year’s time, they were dumbfounded. But God’s response was both timely and timeless.
Is anything too difficult for the Lord? —Genesis 18:14
When God tells us to do something, we can instantly come up with ten good reasons why God’s way won’t work. We focus on the limitations as we see them instead of seeing God’s power as limitless.
Our God of Impossibilities
It’s always easier to laugh than believe the impossible.
It’s true; many times when we follow God’s will, we may not see a way out of our situation. In fact, humanly speaking, there may be no way out.
But that’s okay. We’re not the cause.
Our job is not to see the solution to our struggles, but to obey God and trust Him for the solution. Human limitations are opportunities for God’s power.
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The Cause in Our Lives
Immediate success tempts us to want to take the credit. That way, we see ourselves as the cause and God as the effect.
Abraham and Sarah had to wait 25 years from the time they were promised a son to the time that they got him.
There’s nothing like a period of waiting and futility to show us that blessing and success in our lives is only of God. This is true even when success does come immediately, but the success often blinds us to the fact.
Our limitations best convince us that success is of God—not of us.
When God Asks Impossible Things of You
As our mortal minds struggle to follow the plans of our immortal God, we must remember that He has no limitations like us.
Tell me what you think: What impossible things are you trusting God for today? To leave a comment, just click here.
Like This Post? Get the Whole Book!
This post is adapted from Wayne’s book, Waiting on God: What to Do When God Does Nothing.
• What do you do when the life God has promised you looks nothing like the life he has given you?
• If you find yourself waiting on God—or if you don’t know what God wants you to do next—this book offers a wise and practical guide to finding hope and peace in life’s difficult pauses.
You will discover what to do when it seems God does nothing.