“Our tendency is to magnify our fears. We place a magnifying glass on the diagnosis, the disease, or debt. Stop that! Meditate less on the mess and more on the Master. Less on the problems and more on his power.”- Max Lucado
“Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.”- Psalm 34:13 (ESV)
In Chapter 11 (“You Were Made for This Moment”), the final chapter in Made for This Moment, Max Lucado reminds us that in seasons of struggle may result in a treacherous time for the human heart. Or, seasons of struggle provide time for us to develop trust in God, lean into His Word, rely on His ways. The choice remains ours.
As a result, Max exhorts:
“Relief will come. This was Mordecai’s message to Esther. And this is God’s message for you. Feeling undone by the struggle? Then let God unleash the power within you to face it. Shift your focus away from the challenges at hand, and ponder the power of almighty God.”
When Sarah laughed at the thought of giving birth in her old age, God asked Abraham and Sarah a question (Genesis 18:14) – “Is anything too hard for the LORD?”
Above all, Pastor Lucado stresses, we need to ask if anything’s too hard for God. As a result, does God ever:
- give up because the problem is too great?
- throw up His hands and quit?
- shake His head at the sound of a prayer request and say, “I can’t handle that problem?”
Certainly, the welcome answer is that nothing’s too hard for God. And that’s where you must start, Pastor Lucado asserts. Rather than measure the height of your mountain, ponder God’s power in making it. Instead of telling God about the size of your storm, tell the storm about the size of your God. Because, Max concludes:
“Your problem is not that your problem is so big but that your view of God is too small.”
Today’s question: What Bible verses help you meditate less on the mess? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Stay steady in the chaos”
