No Boundaries

THIS WEEK, my first week back at school after Christmas break, has been very eventful and blessed. I started my days with my Quiet Time instead of doing it at night, so that helped me keep the Word on my mind during the day.

I've had a few realizations this week stemming from my Quiet Time that I think are about to impact my life big time.

You see, I have been doing Quiet Time outdoors. I hear the birds speaking, and I feel the cold air, and I see the trees with leaves from green to red like a rainbow, and I realize that there really isn't anything God can't do.

I remembered His promise (Matthew 19:23-26) that with Him all things are possible. ALL things. And then I thought about His promise (John 14:12-14) that if we ask anything in Jesus' name, He will do it. He WILL. The Bible is filled with promises like these, saying that God answers those who have faith in Him and who will obey His will. Saying that what's impossible for us can be possible through faith in our God of power.

Now, if we have an ounce of faith in God's power and goodness, we know that He keeps every promise He makes. So if anything is possible through God, and if He answers our prayers, where are the boundaries? There are none, because He has none.

None? No boundaries? Well that's shakes things up quite a bit, I thought, so I more boldly began to pray for miracles. I mean, miracles are what happens when we have the right kind of faith in God, and the followers of Jesus have always been performing them in Him name. It was Tuesday that I wrote in my journal that I had prayed for miracles.

Wednesday I was in the Student Union, and I had also been praying to make a friend that day. I got both at the same time. I walked up to the booth of a Christian student group, where two guys were praying for a girl. When they were finished they told me that this girl, Lex, had very severe astigmatism. She told me she wasn't even able to see the whiteboard from the front row of class. She showed me her thick glasses. After these guys, Peter and Doug, prayed for her, her vision was significantly better. Miracle. It's been a dream of mine to see a faith healing for a while. I knew it was happening in the world, but now I've seen it.

I found that Peter is in my New Testament class. Now I have a new friend. God answered my prayers.

God is accomplishing His will in the earth, and He doesn't need our help. But He can make us a part of what He is doing, and He wants us to be. So let's not pray for God to tell us what we can do for Him, like we have something He needs. Let's pray to be allowed a part in making His dreams come true. We don't have much to offer, just our faith and our obedience. But God loves to make a lot from a little, and to make abundance come out of nothing.

It's like when Jesus returned from the dead and met the disciples (John 21) and asked Peter three times whether he loved Him. He said yes once for every time he had denied Him at His death. Jesus had to ensure Peter would have faith strong enough to face what he would go through for His name's sake. Peter could not deny the Christ he knew he had seen resurrected. He would lead countless people to Christ, but he would suffer and die, and be crucified upside down. But his faith was strong enough, and we are still benefitting from it today.

Jesus was very straightforward when He said in John 14:12, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do He will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father."

When I shared my hope with my Community Group that we could have faith bold enough to see impossible things happen this semester, I referred to Ephesians 3:20, which is one of my favorite promises in the Bible. My friend Quinn said the same one had been on her heart for a couple of days.

In Ephesians 3:20-21 Paul writes, "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that work in us, [21] to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

God wants to exceed our expectations, especially if they are big. It takes faith, and almost always sacrifice, to follow Christ completely. That's what I hoping for this semester, and from now on. Just imagine all the salvation and healing and glory that could come if we could have big faith in the God of No Boundaries!