[Discoveries] 06-18-08 Prayers and problems -- John 11:3

[Inspiration in Your Inbox]

/*"Lord, the one You love is sick." -- John 11:3*/

It's a simple prayer. Many times the more desperate we are, the more 
needy we are, the more simple our prayers become. "Help!" I remember 
times when I was so sick that all I could pray was, "O God! O God! O 
God!" over and over again because my brain couldn't contain anything 
more. There was no theology, just raw need and a Father in heaven.

This is also a prayer of expectation. Mary and Martha knew where they 
stood with the Lord. Jesus could do what He wanted, and they knew He 
wanted the best for their brother, Lazarus. They knew that Jesus cared 
deeply about him. The implication is clear. They expected Jesus to clear 
His schedule, and bring Lazarus back from the brink of death.

God chose this prayer to something extra, something far beyond what 
anyone imagined would happen. He chose this prayer as an opportunity to 
show us that no problem is ever too big for God to solve.

How did He do that? He let the problem get worse. I mention this because 
this is where many of us are right now. We have a problem. We've asked 
God to take it away. And He has responded by letting it get worse.

What is God doing? I don't know. I just know that when everything we 
hoped for dies, God is planning a resurrection. He is able, and He will 
bring it about for you.

Be encouraged!
Dwight

You may freely post, reprint or redistribute this devotional provided a 
reference or link back to _DwightClough.com_ 
<http://www.dwightclough.com> is included.

Discoveries Devotional -- Inspiration in Your Inbox is provided daily by
Dwight Clough Ministries, Inc.
1223 West Main Street #228
Sun Prairie, WI 53590 USA
Dwight Clough Ministries is supported by your donations.
Visit _www.DwightClough.com_ <http://www.dwightclough.com> for more 
information.

Change your subscription: 
_http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/discoveries_

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/discoveries/attachments/20080614/226c5e34/attachment.htm>