GOD IS ABLE

“Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 1:6)

God is alive and active, able to do what we ask. God hears and answers prayer, as our true friend. God is able to do what we imagine. He reads our thoughts and can interpret the thoughts and feelings we cannot express as we cry out to Him in distress. God is able to do all that we ask or think. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He knows everything and can complete the work He started in us.

“Now to Him who is able to do infinitely more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”  (Ephesians 3:20-21)

-- James Houston, quoted in “In This Quiet Place: Discovering the Pleasure of Prayer”


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OUR OMNISCIENT GOD

When the Bible teaches that God is omniscient -- that He has complete knowledge -- it is not saying that God is bright.  It is not saying that He is sharp.  It is not even saying that He is a genius.  These are the finite expressions of a people severely limited by space and time.

What the Bible is really getting at is that God knows everything.  No question can confound Him.  No dilemma can confuse Him.  No event can surprise Him.  He has eternal, intrinsic, comprehensive, and absolutely perfect knowledge.

Nothing is news to God.

-- Bill Hybels in “The God You're Looking For” 

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YOUR GOOD DEEDS

"Your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly."  (Matthew 6:4b)

God is the note-taking heavenly observer.  He knows about the time you bit your tongue when you could have contributed to a rumor.  He takes notice every time you greet a stranger or visit a person in the hospital or prison.  Every secret act of character, conviction, and courage has been observed in living color by our omniscient God.

You always have an audience.  In every activity and in every conversation God is present, and He says, "I saw it.  Carry on!  Do it again.  I am going to reward you.  I am going to repay you.  You have not been working in vain."

Obviously your good deeds won't make God love you more (His love for you is operating at "full strength" already), but it's good to know He celebrates your good deeds -- even when they go unnoticed by others.

-- Bill Hybels in The God You're Looking For

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GOD ANSWERS PRAYER

Now here's the good news:  If you do pray, all bets are off.  You can live with holy anticipation because you never know how or when or where God is going to answer, but I promise you this:  He will answer.  And His answers are not limited by your requests.  We pray out of our ignorance, but God answers out of His omniscience.  We pray out of our impotence, but God answers out of His omnipotence.  God has the ability to answer the prayers we should have prayed but lacked the knowledge or ability to even ask.

-- Mark Batterson in The Circle Maker


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