How to move God.

Image from Godtv.com

What do these people have in common?

1. Mary, in the story of turning water into wine [John 2:3-5].

Jesus says, "It's not yet my time." and Marry goes ahead to tell the disciples to do as He commands them. And then Jesus turns water into wine.

2. The Greek woman whose daughter was demon-possessed [Mark 7:26-29].

Jesus tells her, "... it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs." to which she replies, "... even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs."

And Jesus says, "Because of that reply, your daughter is well."

3. Or King Hezekiah (2 Kings 20:5) when the prophet told him that God had said he was going to die; he turned to the wall and asked God for more years and it was done for him.

All the pronounced bible characters, Jacob, the woman with a bleeding issue, and many others seem to have moved God even when He didn't seem to have set out to move that way.

God responded because of their response/reaction to their situation, not because of, "I'm God here, this is my will and it cannot be changed!" He literally said, "Because of how, you, the person, have responded to this, I will do it for you."

This distorts my former belief that the will of God for my life is cast on stone, that God already designed my life with His perfect will for me to follow and obey. It makes me think, rather, that we are partners with God. 

You know how in some movies, a prince is born and his life is laid out for him: every activity of the day, who he will marry, when he will marry, how to eat, when to eat, how to dress, etc.? That's the same way I thought my life as a child of God was. However, as I think about those men and women in the bible, I realize that indeed we are friends, partners with God for our lives.

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

Isaiah 1:18 

He wants us to be fully engaged in our lives that even when it's not yet His time to do a thing, we discuss, we reason together just like the woman with a demon-possessed daughter in Mark 7:26, we bring the issue to His table with confidence, not as slaves but as friends.

Yes, He is strong and all-knowing, but He delights in our maturity and engagement into our lives. You might indeed have a full day planned for your 2-year old child and would want them to do as you planned, but it sure delights a parent's heart to reason together with their 16-year old child regarding their (child's) life.

We move God by understanding that we are not programmed robots or slaves who must adhere to commands, but we are friends of God. With pure motives, we present the matter to a loving God as we listen to His advice on the same.

Today let's pray without fear of praying against the "will" of God but pray in boldness for a matter, knowing that He delights in having a discussion with us.

Thank you for being a part of this blog every Wednesday and I can't wait for your visit next Wednesday too.

God bless you.