“Inclination, Ability, Promise"

"Inclination, Ability, Promise"  

      Our memory verse for the week beckons God's children to avail ourselves of His inclination, His ability, and His promise.

      "Call unto Me and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not" (Jeremiah 33:3).

     I vented some frustration to a good friend last night about an issue involving a problem facing a loved one.  As I wrote the note that expressed my feelings, the thought kept returning to me that the matter, while unsolvable in human terms, actually provides yet another opportunity to trust our Heavenly Father for His personal working in my loved one's life.  The Lord is more than willing to act on our behalf, or in this case, on behalf of someone dear to me, and even more dear to Him.  We can be sure of His inclination.  "I will" He promises.

    We then rest our hearts in confidence of His ability and power to provide, protect, and weave both the pleasant and the painful into His good purposes for the lives of those we love, and who He loves even more.  "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" (Genesis 18:14).  Certainly God meant for Abraham to realize the absurdity of such a notion as He rhetorically asked the question.  In fact, the promise of His abundant working offers "great and mighty things" we would never see or know if challenges did not lead us to trust Him.  "Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end, Amen" (Ephesians 3:20).  "Great and mighty things" He promises.

   Finally, the God who "cannot lie" has made countless promises to His trusting sons and daughters in Christ that cannot fail to be fulfilled (Titus 1:2).  This includes the assurance that calling on Him results in His promised working for the benefit of those for whom we care, and for whom He cares even more.  As we frequently suggest in these messages, every promise our Heavenly Father ever made has either been fulfilled, or is in the process of being fulfilled.  God keeps His word.  Always.  Ever, and forever.  I thought about that after my venting last night, and while I am most grateful for the dear friend who patiently endured the steam, I am even more grateful for the dear Friend who purposefully engaged His Spirit to remind and challenge me:  God can be trusted.  "I will answer" He promises.

"Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed."

(Romans 9:33)

Weekly Memory Verse 

    Call unto Me and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not."

(Jeremiah 33:3)