When You Limit What God Wants to Do
A devotional by Jessica B. Turner
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you are begging God to move, to perform a miracle, but you just don’t see Him doing it? Have you ever stopped to question if it’s your lack of faith contributing to His silence?
It’s a hard question because I think we would all like to assume that if we are believers in Jesus Christ then we automatically have what we need to see Him move in our lives. Yet, that isn’t the case and Matthew 13:58 reminds us of that.
We can agree that Jesus Christ exists. Those who grew up knowing Jesus before He began His ministry believed in His existence. However, it was their lack of belief in what He could do that restricted Christ’s ability to perform miracles in that place.
They had a preconceived idea of who Jesus Christ was, whether they were aware of that or not, and that idea is what ultimately caused Him to walk away without doing the work that He wanted to do in their lives.
Sometimes I think we fall into this same trap. We have a picture of who God is from our childhood Bible studies with our parents or in church. Maybe the image of our Heavenly Father is one that was formed by someone who didn’t believe in God or perhaps someone who had good intentions. Whatever the case, that picture causes us to minimize who God is. We see Him as this one-dimensional being instead of the all-knowing, all-powerful, loving Father He is to us.
We may believe that God exists, and we may even believe that He is capable of doing amazing things. But maybe we don’t believe that God can or will do them for us. Here’s the sad part: Whether we realize it or not, that lack of belief on our part directly affects what God is able to do in and through our lives.
This can be a hard place to find yourself, and I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve been there. I was doing all the things that I thought need to take place to set the stage for a miracle to unfold. I so badly wanted to trust God, only to realize that there is a part of me that still doesn’t believe that He is going to come through.
So, what is one to do when they find themselves in this space? A space where you so desperately want to believe but you just can’t seem to muster up the faith to do so?
Ready for the answer? Here it is: You ask God to help you overcome your unbelief. (Mark 9:24)
You lay down all of your fears, all of the “what ifs”, at God’s feet and you tell Him that you are struggling with trusting Him. You are struggling to believe that anything good can come out of what you are facing despite knowing that anything is possible through Him (Luke 1:37). And then you watch Him move, despite your doubts, because you handed them over to Him!
Isn’t God good? He never expects us to be perfect in our faith walk with Him. He simply wants us to come to Him, especially when we begin to question who He is and what He is capable of doing in our lives.
Let’s Pray: Heavenly Father, thank You for being such a loving Father that I can come to You with anything, even my wavering faith. Remind me that my doubt doesn’t have to define me but instead, it can be used as a tool to strengthen my relationship with You. Help me to believe that anything is possible through You. Help me to believe that You can and will bring about good from all circumstances no matter how painful they may be. I love You and I trust You. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.
~*~
Song of Reflection: “What Faith Can Do" by Kutless. Listen to it here.
~*~
Author Bio:
Jessica B. Turner is a wife, mom, and LSU graduate with a degree in veterinary medicine.
A devotional by Jessica B. Turner
Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family.” And so he did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief.
–Matthew 13:57-58 (NLT)
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you are begging God to move, to perform a miracle, but you just don’t see Him doing it? Have you ever stopped to question if it’s your lack of faith contributing to His silence?
It’s a hard question because I think we would all like to assume that if we are believers in Jesus Christ then we automatically have what we need to see Him move in our lives. Yet, that isn’t the case and Matthew 13:58 reminds us of that.
We can agree that Jesus Christ exists. Those who grew up knowing Jesus before He began His ministry believed in His existence. However, it was their lack of belief in what He could do that restricted Christ’s ability to perform miracles in that place.
They had a preconceived idea of who Jesus Christ was, whether they were aware of that or not, and that idea is what ultimately caused Him to walk away without doing the work that He wanted to do in their lives.
Sometimes I think we fall into this same trap. We have a picture of who God is from our childhood Bible studies with our parents or in church. Maybe the image of our Heavenly Father is one that was formed by someone who didn’t believe in God or perhaps someone who had good intentions. Whatever the case, that picture causes us to minimize who God is. We see Him as this one-dimensional being instead of the all-knowing, all-powerful, loving Father He is to us.
We may believe that God exists, and we may even believe that He is capable of doing amazing things. But maybe we don’t believe that God can or will do them for us. Here’s the sad part: Whether we realize it or not, that lack of belief on our part directly affects what God is able to do in and through our lives.
This can be a hard place to find yourself, and I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve been there. I was doing all the things that I thought need to take place to set the stage for a miracle to unfold. I so badly wanted to trust God, only to realize that there is a part of me that still doesn’t believe that He is going to come through.
So, what is one to do when they find themselves in this space? A space where you so desperately want to believe but you just can’t seem to muster up the faith to do so?
Ready for the answer? Here it is: You ask God to help you overcome your unbelief. (Mark 9:24)
You lay down all of your fears, all of the “what ifs”, at God’s feet and you tell Him that you are struggling with trusting Him. You are struggling to believe that anything good can come out of what you are facing despite knowing that anything is possible through Him (Luke 1:37). And then you watch Him move, despite your doubts, because you handed them over to Him!
Isn’t God good? He never expects us to be perfect in our faith walk with Him. He simply wants us to come to Him, especially when we begin to question who He is and what He is capable of doing in our lives.
Let’s Pray: Heavenly Father, thank You for being such a loving Father that I can come to You with anything, even my wavering faith. Remind me that my doubt doesn’t have to define me but instead, it can be used as a tool to strengthen my relationship with You. Help me to believe that anything is possible through You. Help me to believe that You can and will bring about good from all circumstances no matter how painful they may be. I love You and I trust You. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.
~*~
Song of Reflection: “What Faith Can Do" by Kutless. Listen to it here.
~*~
Author Bio:
Jessica B. Turner is a wife, mom, and LSU graduate with a degree in veterinary medicine.
After practicing small animal medicine for six years, she traded in her stethoscope to become an online wellness coach, motivational speaker, and writer with a passion for mental health advocacy. This major life change was sparked after Jessica struggled with postpartum depression soon after she birthed her twin girls.
Along with Jessica’s career change came the discovery of who Jesus Christ really is and how He was the missing piece for her to be able to move forward from past trauma that she had suppressed for decades.
Jesus walked alongside Jessica as she underwent a transformation like none other. God transformed Jessica’s life from a broken mom who struggled with depression, anxiety, disordered eating, and PTSD from witnessing an attempted suicide, to using her experiences to make her a powerful vessel for Him. To this day, God enables Jessica to touch the lives of others through her often unfiltered, yet inviting, form of storytelling.
Throughout this process of refinement, Jessica has shared her life story with the world through her social media platforms, in-person events, blog posts, and podcasts. She values the gift of transparency and has discovered that what so many people need to know is that they are not alone. Jessica has walked in their shoes, and she wants the world to know that Jesus is walking with them as well.
~*~
Connect with Jessica:
Website: www.jessicabturner.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessicabturner/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicabturner/
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