God’s plans are always better than ours!

Have you ever had a time were you were simply frustrated with God? You expected Him to do something or answer a prayer one way and He does things differently or perhaps the total opposite of what you expected? I have had that happen. We tend to expect God to work the way we want Him to work, but God has a better plan.

Jesus came across a man who had been sitting by a pool for 38 years waiting to be healed. In his mind, he believed he could be healed if someone would help him get to the water quickly. There was a level of faith; he believed he could be healed. Jesus saw that in him. Faith wasn’t the issue with this man; God’s ways was his issue. He had locked his mind into the idea that the only way God could heal was through being dunked into the water.

If you want something from the Lord you must listen to Him. Jesus said to the man, do you want to be healed? Sounds like a stupid question to a guy who had been sitting by a pool for 38 years, hoping to get in and receive his healing. Even in pain, it is easy for us to get used to our condition and become more afraid of change than the pain we are in. Jesus asked the question for two reasons; first did he really want healing, and two, was he ready for healing. His response answered both. He wanted healing but couldn’t see any way except being carried into the pool first. Jesus met him there at that place of limited faith and then the man took the leap of faith to stand up.

Sometimes we don’t stand. I can’t tell you how many times I had to talk people through the remembering, the prayer, and the answer. Conversations often go like this:

Me “How are you doing?”
Other person: “Fine”
M: “I thought you would be doing great.”
OP: “Why?”
M: “Didn’t you ask for prayer for such and such?”
OP: “Yes”
M: “Didn’t God do that for you?”
OP: “Now that you said that, yes God did! PTL”

God does miracles all of the time. He heals, brings finances, forgives, encourages, provides relationships and jobs. With many of them, we have to stand, we must take them, go on the interview, work the hours offered, choose to forgive, be a friend to others, some God simply makes happen and lives are changed.

In the rest of this chapter Jesus is explaining His relationship to the Father. You can see in this discussion Jesus’ love even for His enemies (those who consider themselves His enemies). His heart’s desire is for even those to enter into salvation (verse 34). Their problem isn’t that they can’t believe, but they simply do choose not to. They are unwilling to accept Jesus’ offer of life.

Jesus’ love is so great that He offers His love freely, even to those who hate Him. He wants to rescue them from hell. How much more does He love us? If He loves us so much, won’t He spend time with us and communicate with us freely if we will allow Him?

If you are not seeing the miracles or hearing Him, just stop, wait, listen and then believe!

Tuesday - John 6