I’ve been thinking about this subject ever since I read an article about something which by all accounts could be described as a miracle. I don’t need to repeat what I read because we’ve all heard such stories. I run across these all the time, but I refuse to believe most of them because they seem too far fetched–too good to be true. Some are no doubt the product of an overactive imagination. But, for the sake of argument, lets suppose some of these stories are true. Could it be that we aren’t giving God enough credit? Are we depriving ourselves of benefits and blessings because we don’t expect such things from God? Do we miss a miracle because we refuse to trust God enough to ask for it.
William Carey tried to teach us to “Expect great things from God; attempt great for God“, but we never seem to learn. Few folks live in the light of great expectations. Most stay in the darkness of doubt. They fail to see God in their situation. They rule out the possibility of a miracle—that was for a different day they say. Don’t misunderstand.I’m not suggesting that you should believe everything you read or hear, nor let your imagination run wild with the attitude that if you convince yourself it will happen it will. There is a world of difference between positive thinking and Biblical faith. I’m just saying that as Christians we have good reason to “expect great things from God”. Too many people are doubt driven, dismissing from their mind the possibility of God doing something miraculous. And when we expect nothing from God we can expect to get it.
Why are we so fearful of faith? There is no evidence that God has ever lied or failed. To the contrary, we find numerous examples of God fulfilling His promises and working miracles. We have good reason to have great expectations! Wouldn’t it be better if we did? When we doubt God we limit what we do, and what He does. That’s exactly what happened with Israel–“they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel“(Ps. 78:41). That is tragic. We should never make that mistake. Doing that restricts what God does for us, with us, and through us. That is a shame and disgrace! Doubt dishonors God.
There is no doubt that some have concocted stories, stretched the truth, distorted the facts, and made false assumptions, but we shouldn’t allow their folly to spoil our faith. While we might have good reason to reject what they say about God, we should never doubt what God says, nor what He is able to do. Ditch your doubts. Fuel your faith and enlarge your expectations and you will find peace and joy under any circumstance.
Why is it that we are surprised when God answers our prayers? Think about it. It’s as though we prayed in doubt and out of duty, and when the request is granted we’re shocked. Why are we surprised? Did we pray without any expectations? By the way, isn’t it a glorious testimony to God’s grace, that He would grant our request even though our faith is small and our expectations nil. Just think about what wonderful things God might do if we honored Him by trusting Him completely, expected great things from Him and attempted great things for Him. Launch out into the deep–you can trust God!
