Able. The word means capable, competent, proficient, skilled (thank you, Thesaurus). That\u2019s what a child is saying when he insists, \u201cDo it myself!\u201d He thinks he is able.<\/p>\n
Unable, of course, means I can\u2019t do it myself.<\/p>\n
When circumstances bring us to the end of ourselves and smack us in the face with our inability<\/em>, we need to know Someone is<\/em> able. Reaching that place, I opened my Bible and found awesome truth.<\/p>\n This is about Abraham. \u201cHe staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded, that what he had promised, he was able<\/em> also to perform\u201d (Romans 4:20-21, emphasis added).<\/p>\n Remember that God instructed Abraham to place his beloved son Isaac on an altar as a sacrifice. How could a father do that? He didn\u2019t know God would intervene\u2026or did he?<\/p>\n \u201cBy faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able<\/em> to raise him up, even from the dead\u2026\u201d (Hebrews 11:17-19, emphasis added).<\/p>\n How could a father do that? He accounted that God was able.<\/em><\/p>\n This is about me. \u201cAnd God is able<\/em> to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work\u201d (2 Corinthians 9:8, emphasis added).<\/p>\n Do you believe that? I can believe he is able to guide you through your dark place. Sometimes I question whether he is able to do that for me.<\/p>\n Oh, I will declare to you in my strongest voice that God will not leave or forsake you\u2026that his grace is sufficient for your need. And with all my heart I believe this\u2014for you<\/em>.<\/p>\n But believing it for myself<\/em> is something else. In my dark place, God seems far away\u2026my head is barely above water and his grace feels hardly ankle-deep. In my dark place, I wonder. Where is that God who promised never to leave or forsake me<\/em>?<\/p>\n Have you been there? I see you at church\u2026in the supermarket\u2026at a social event. I unload the concerns of my heart, and you sound absolutely confident, reassuring me God is able for my<\/em> circumstance. Are you believing it for your dark place as well?<\/p>\n That\u2019s a real dilemma in the Christian life: staying confident that God is able, no matter what our circumstance\u2026able for me<\/em>.<\/p>\nThat\u2019s a real dilemma in the Christian life: staying confident that God is able, no matter what our circumstance\u2026able for me. <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n Tormented by what-ifs<\/em>, I talked to God about the situation triggering my fear. \u201cIf I just knew<\/em> you would take care of this!\u201d<\/p>\n He brought to mind Psalm 91, which I\u2019d memorized years ago. I began quoting it to myself.<\/p>\n He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.<\/em><\/p>\n I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.<\/em><\/p>\n Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.<\/em><\/p>\n He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust:<\/em><\/p>\n his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.<\/em><\/p>\n Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;<\/em><\/p>\n Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.<\/em><\/p>\n A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand;<\/em><\/p>\n but it shall not come nigh thee.<\/em><\/p>\n Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.<\/em><\/p>\n Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;<\/em><\/p>\n There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.<\/em><\/p>\n For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.<\/em><\/p>\n They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone…<\/em><\/p>\n There are four more verses, but long before I reached the end of the Psalm, truth\u2014like a guided missile\u2014had demolished my fear.<\/p>\n I have chosen to dwell in the secret place of the most High, abiding under the shadow of the Almighty. He is my refuge and my fortress. I trust in him. That\u2019s my part. He will deliver me. That\u2019s his part.<\/p>\n He has promised never to leave or forsake me and that his grace is<\/em> sufficient…today\u2026tomorrow\u2026and beyond.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness\u2026\u201d (2 Corinthians 12:9).<\/p>\n God is able, isn\u2019t he? Make up your mind!<\/p>\nGod is able, isn\u2019t he? Make up your mind! <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n I hope these thoughts encourage you. Please leave a comment. And share this with a friend who needs reassurance.<\/p>\n \u00a9 Dianne Barker 2018<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Able. The word means capable, competent, proficient, skilled (thank you, Thesaurus). That\u2019s what a child is saying when he insists, \u201cDo it myself!\u201d He thinks he is able. Unable, of course, means I can\u2019t do it myself. When circumstances bring us to the end of ourselves and smack us in the face with our inability, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[90,9,74,42,186,188,190,189,187],"class_list":["post-740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","tag-abraham","tag-dianne-barker","tag-faith","tag-fear","tag-god-is-able-isnt-he-make-up-your-mind","tag-god-will-deliver-me","tag-gods-grace-is-sufficient","tag-isaac","tag-trust"],"yoast_head":"\nGod is still able to do the impossible.<\/strong><\/h3>\nGod is still able to do the impossible. <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n
Once I struggled with an unreasonable fear.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
God is able to guide me<\/em> through my dark place.<\/strong><\/h3>\n