Sermon # 30 - God Of Impossibilities Series

We read in Psalms 77:1, “I cried to God with my voice...” (ESV) and in Psalms 77:14, “You are the God who works miracles ;”( GNT)

In Psalms 77:11, he says, “I will remember your great deeds, LORD; I will recall the wonders you did in the past.” (GNB)

In the previous message we considered how the Psalmist changed his viewpoint from one of despair in Psalm 77:1 to one of faith in verse 14, only because He took time to stop, remember and recall all the wonderful deeds that God had performed in the past. The sure way for us to grow in our faith and see impossible situations change is when we too can take time to ponder, meditate and personalize all the wonderful deeds of God as recorded in His word.

Three kings encounter an arduous situation

We read in 2 Kings 3:9, “So the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom took an indirect route to Moab. After seven days they ran out of water for the army and the animals.” (GNB)

Three kings of Israel, Judah and Edom journeyed with their armies to wage war against the King of Moab. The threesome were sure as they ventured out, that they would be triumphant in their mission and gain victory over the King of Moab. However, after travelling for seven days, they ran out of water, and were in dire straits when their armies and animals that accompanied them were almost dying from thirst. The situation that they found themselves in seemed completely hopeless.

In 2 Kings 3:10 we read, “The king of Israel said, "Bad news! GOD has gotten us three kings out here to dump us into the hand of Moab." (MSG)

When confronted with such a despairing situation, the King of Israel, immediately threw the blame on God. The three kings who went to battle against the King of Moab, did not enquire of the Lord before they set out. They went forth in their own physical strength, and did not consult with God as to the route they should take. However, when things went bad and there was encountered acute scarcity of water, the King of Israel had no qualms in shifting the blame on God for the predicament they were in. The reason for this attitude was that the problem he confronted seemed so huge that God became insignificant to him.

There are lots of situations that we encounter, where we too may despair and feel forlorn. Sometimes these could be related to our family, children, work, income or health. Often like the king of Israel, we don’t seek God when deciding to do something, but, when things get out of hand we either run to God and or end up blaming God for our misfortune. This kind of attitude is not new, but as old as the Garden of Eden. When God confronted Adam about his disobedience, without hesitation he replied, “it was the woman you gave me, who gave me the fruit and I ate it” Genesis 3:12. In the midst of difficulties, it would be wise for us to analyze ourselves to check where we have gone wrong, rather than to quickly shift the blame on God or others.

Oftentimes we too murmur when we are challenged with hard times, simply because we focus on the situation at hand, instead of looking to God who is in control of everything. What happens as a result is that our problems loom large before us, and God becomes small in our eyes. Let us be reminded that our God is far bigger than any difficulty that we may encounter. We must cultivate the habit of seeking God’s guidance in everything no matter how small or big it is. Only then we will hear from God, and can stay secure in the center of God’s will.

The way Job perceived hardships

We read in Job 1:21-22, He said, "I was born with nothing, and I will die with nothing. The LORD gave, and now he has taken away. May his name be praised!" In spite of everything that had happened, Job did not sin by blaming God.” (GNT)

When Job lost everything he had, he could confidently say ‘The Lord gave and now He has taken away’. Prior to this testing that Job underwent, there was a dialogue in heaven between God and Satan, where God attested to Satan regarding Job as one who was perfect, upright, feared God and shunned evil. Satan immediately responded that Job’s allegiance to God was simply because He had the protection of God fenced around him. Satan’s premise was that Job would stop praising God and would fail, once all the blessings and security of God were removed from him. God allowed the testing, whereby Job lost all of it, but still praised God and affirmed with unshakeable faith, that since God gave, He also had the right to take away.