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God's Power
Andrea Lende • December 15, 2020
Matthew 21:21-22
God’s Power
You can also listen to the devotion and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Gods-Power-enroje
Matthew 21:21-22
“And Jesus answered them, Truly I say to you, if you have faith (a firm relying trust) and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, Be taken up and cast into the see, it will be done.”
“And whatever you ask for in prayer, having faith and [really] believing, you will receive.”
Jesus was, of course, talking to His disciples.
He had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it.
It immediately withered away, and His disciples were amazed at the sight.
Then the Lord talked to them about belief.
Over the last couple days, I have been thinking about the things the Lord has done for me.
As I pondered His blessings, I thought about one of the gifts He gave me.
It was writing music.
I remember the day I started hearing the music and lyrics and wrote them down.
I had just bowed my head while at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless my writing if I wrote praise and worship music.
As soon as I prayed that prayer the Lord bestowed upon me the gift of song writing.
The next few days were amazing.
The first song I wrote was more like a cantata.
It was a piece that a large choir would sing with a symphony accompanying it.
As I remembered this day, I imagined the Lord in heaven just waiting.
Waiting for me to pray that prayer so He could impart the gift He had in mind for me.
Then I thought about the similarity we, as parents, feel just before Christmas morning.
We’ve purchased all the gifts, taken time to wrap them, set them under the tree, and are waiting with anticipation for our children unwrap them.
We are so excited to see the look on their faces when we give them what they so desire.
The fulfillment of the perfect gift is an awesome thing to behold.
This may be the smallest likeness of how the Lord waits.
How he waits to give us the gifts He has for us.
When we pray for the things the Lord wants us to have the gifts come in abundance.
They are given in the fullness of the Lord.
The floodgates are opened to us.
How do we unlock this kind of gift giving from the Lord?
One of the answers is in the words Jesus told the disciples.
Believe.
Believe that anything is possible for the Lord.
Another piece is to seek God.
Seek His perfect will for our lives.
Pray for God’s desires to become our desires.
When our desires line up with God’s, there is nothing He will not do to make them come to pass.
Today I choose to pray the Lord’s desires will become mine and that I will be in full service to God Almighty.
May you find that being aligned with God’s desires and His perfect plan for your life will set you up for the miracle working power of the Lord.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for reminding me of Your power. Thank You for reminding me there is nothing You cannot do. You are all powerful and Almighty and all things are done according to Your Word. Thank You for sending Your Son to this earth to teach us about You and the power that comes with belief. Please increase my belief and faith in You. I pray You keep me close to You and continue to align my desires with Yours. Lead and guide me to You as I move through this day and all days. May my heart be guided by You. Put compassion in my heart so I feel what You want me to feel. Break my heart for what breaks Yours and then help me help those You want me to help. May Your heavenly power come down and bless those in need of You. Use me as You will. My heart is to serve You. Help me bless someone day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM working in you so you can bless My people as I have planned.
Response: Thank you, most gracious and Almighty Father.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.