Sermon # 13 - Our Part In God's Plan Series

Many people have a misunderstanding that everything that happens in their lives depends on God alone, and that there is nothing that they can do or accomplish with their own hands. Some others have resigned themselves to a fatalistic view that everything is controlled by God, and that therefore there is nothing left for them to do. The truth of the matter is that, it is only when our hands are willing to do all that is within our ability that the Lord steps in to do His part. As we look at various incidents recorded in the Bible, it will help us understand that the Lord intervened to do the impossible in that situation, only when the people involved in it were willing to do what was required of them.

The impact of man’s hands in:

• A hopeless situation

In John Chapter 11, we read of how the Lord Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. In order for that to happen not only did the Lord expect the people to roll the stone away from the mouth of tomb, He also expected them to untie Lazarus’ grave clothes, when he came walking out of the grave. As the people responded to the Lord’s instruction, and did what they could do, only then the Lord intervened, and turned the hopeless situation to one of hope, by raising dead Lazarus back to life.

We understand then, that when we are willing to do what is required of us, the Lord will mediate, and change a hopeless situation into a hopeful one. So also, if we are to be set free from the bondage of sin and death, we must be willing to do what’s required of us so that Lord can work in us and bring about the freedom and transformation in our lives.

• A fearful situation

We read about this incident in Exodus Chapter 2. When Moses was born in Egypt, Pharaoh issued an edict that all the male babies of the Israelites must be thrown to death into the River Nile. While all other mothers followed the orders of Pharaoh, there was one mother who believed that the Lord had given her baby boy in her hands, because He had a purpose for him. Knowing this she did all that she could do, to protect the baby boy for as long as she could. However, when the time came when she could no longer hide her baby, she decided to put her baby in a papyrus basket, and left him among the reeds in the River Nile.

The basket was noticed by none other than the Princess (Pharaoh’s daughter), who on opening the basket saw the baby boy, took pity on him, and decided to take him to the palace to bring him up as her son. Even in such a fearful situation, when Moses’ mother did all that was in her hands to do, the Lord stepped in, did the unimaginable, and placed the baby in safe custody of Pharaoh’s daughter herself. And a greater miracle was that, the Lord also made the Princess give back baby Moses to his own mother, to raise him up for a few more years.

• An unyielding situation

In Joshua Chapter 6 there is the amazing story of God’s deliverance of Jericho into the hands of Joshua and his army. If the Lord wanted to, he could have brought down the walls of Jericho in an instant but He expected Joshua and his men to do what was required of them to do. Not only did Joshua and the warriors have to go around the walls of Jericho, the Lord also expected Him to fight the battle once the walls came crumbling down.

An impossible situation can be changed, only when we are willing to do all that God expects of us to do. When we do so, the Lord will definitely break down all barriers, and make a way for us in the midst of our difficulties.

• A lacking situation

In John Chapter 2, Jesus was at Cana of Galilee, when there was a want for wine at a wedding. When the need was brought to the notice of Jesus, he instructed the servants to fill the jars with water. It was the task of the servants to fill the jars, and also their duty to pour out the water to the guests. As they did what the Lord commanded them to do, only then the Lord did the mighty miracle of changing water into wine. If the Lord wanted He could have changed the water into wine as soon as the water was filled in the jars, but the Lord wanted them to do their part of believing and pouring the water out, and only then the Lord performed the miracle.