Exceedingly and Abundantly Above All

If you're anything like me, when something goes wrong it’s all too easy to sit down, accept it for what it is and write it off as "Since this is what’s happening it must be God's will”. I believe that is one of Satan's most subtle attacks. He wants us to just lay down and accept what life throws at us. Meanwhile, we’re missing out on what God really has for us because we didn't have the faith to bring our problem to the One who can turn it around. Just because the problem seems impossible to fix, doesn’t mean it is. We don't have to sit down and accept it every time we’re up against one of the enemy’s attacks. We’re already on the winning team. All we have to do is call out to the One who holds the victory.

Lay it at God's feet and see if it is truly His will or just a test of faith to see how we respond. Too many times I feel like God sees us lay down and take whatever we are facing in defeat and He longs to fix the problem if we just appeal to Him. I don’t think this applies to every situation, but how will we truly know if what’s happening to us is His will if we don't earnestly ask Him to fix it for us, while expecting Him to move? When we come to Him with our requests, we are usually met with a yes, no, or a not yet. We see this clearly in the first story I'd like to share in 2 Kings 4:8-37.

“One day Elisha went to the town of Shunem. A wealthy woman lived there, and she urged him to come to her home for a meal. After that, whenever he passed that way, he would stop there for something to eat. She said to her husband, “I am sure this man who stops in from time to time is a holy man of God. Let’s build a small room for him on the roof and furnish it with a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp. Then he will have a place to stay whenever he comes by.” One day Elisha returned to Shunem, and he went up to this upper room to rest. He said to his servant Gehazi, “Tell the woman from Shunem I want to speak to her.” When she appeared, Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tell her, ‘We appreciate the kind concern you have shown us. What can we do for you? Can we put in a good word for you to the king or to the commander of the army?’” “No,” she replied, “my family takes good care of me.” Later Elisha asked Gehazi, “What can we do for her?” Gehazi replied, “She doesn’t have a son, and her husband is an old man.” “Call her back again,” Elisha told him. When the woman returned, Elisha said to her as she stood in the doorway, “Next year at this time you will be holding a son in your arms!” “No, my Lord!” she cried. “O man of God, don’t deceive me and get my hopes up like that.” But sure enough, the woman soon became pregnant. And at that time the following year she had a son, just as Elisha had said. One day when her child was older, he went out to help his father, who was working with the harvesters. Suddenly he cried out, “My head hurts! My head hurts!” His father said to one of the servants, “Carry him home to his mother.” So the servant took him home, and his mother held him on her lap. But around noontime he died. She carried him up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, then shut the door and left him there. She sent a message to her husband: “Send one of the servants and a donkey so that I can hurry to the man of God and come right back.” “Why go today?” he asked. “It is neither a new moon festival nor a Sabbath.” But she said, “It will be all right.” So she saddled the donkey and said to the servant, “Hurry! Don’t slow down unless I tell you to.” As she approached the man of God at Mount Carmel, Elisha saw her in the distance. He said to Gehazi, “Look, the woman from Shunem is coming. Run out to meet her and ask her, ‘Is everything all right with you, your husband, and your child?’” “Yes,” the woman told Gehazi, “everything is fine.” But when she came to the man of God at the mountain, she fell to the ground before him and caught hold of his feet. Gehazi began to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone. She is deeply troubled, but the Lord has not told me what it is.” Then she said, “Did I ask you for a son, my Lord? And didn’t I say, ‘Don’t deceive me and get my hopes up’?” Then Elisha said to Gehazi, “Get ready to travel; take my staff and go! Don’t talk to anyone along the way. Go quickly and lay the staff on the child’s face.” But the boy’s mother said, “As surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, I won’t go home unless you go with me.” So Elisha returned with her. Gehazi hurried on ahead and laid the staff on the child’s face, but nothing happened. There was no sign of life. He returned to meet Elisha and told him, “The child is still dead.” When Elisha arrived, the child was indeed dead, lying there on the prophet’s bed. He went in alone and shut the door behind him and prayed to the Lord. Then he lay down on the child’s body, placing his mouth on the child’s mouth, his eyes on the child’s eyes, and his hands on the child’s hands. And as he stretched out on him, the child’s body began to grow warm again! Elisha got up, walked back and forth across the room once, and then stretched himself out again on the child. This time the boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes! Then Elisha summoned Gehazi. “Call the child’s mother!” he said. And when she came in, Elisha said, “Here, take your son!” She fell at his feet and bowed before him, overwhelmed with gratitude. Then she took her son in her arms and carried him downstairs.”

‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭4‬:‭8‬-‭37‬ ‭

Here we see a rich woman that is eager to feed and help  Elisha, who she proclaims as a man of God. Elisha makes note of her kindness and wants to pay it forward. He asks what can he do for her, but her response in v.13 was "nothing my family takes good care of me." Elisha has to ask his servant what he can do for her. His servant tells him they need a son. Elisha calls her back and tells her this time next year she will be holding a son. She cried "No my Lord, Oh man of God don't get my hopes up like that." Sure enough she had a son a year later. She was well off and had every material thing she needed, but didn't bring her request and need for a son to God. Remember this for later in the story, because she obviously learns her lesson.

Fast forward, the son is older, working in the fields and complains that his head hurts. A servant takes him home but he dies on his mother's lap. This is the part where she refuses to accept what life has dished out to her, which in that moment was death and defeat. She rushes to Elisha and falls at his feet. In v.28 she tells him “didn't I tell you not to get my hopes up?” Elisha tells his servant to hurry and lay his staff on the child's face. But the mother refuses to go unless Elisha comes as well. The healing power wasn't in that staff and she knew it. We see that the power isn’t in the staff in v.31 when the servant did as he was told but nothing happened. In v32-35 we see Elisha stretch himself out over the child's body much like Elijah did over the widow's son who died and was raised from the dead. Elisha preforms a similar miracle and the boy comes back to life. 

The story ends with a grateful mother reunited with her son. Think of how different this story would have been if she had just accepted what happened and never looked for God to fix what went wrong. We see her in the beginning not even willing to voice her true needs. When Elisha asked if there was anything they could do for her, my guess is she was only thinking monetarily because of her response in saying “my family takes good care of me”. 

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us" Ephesians 3:20

She put limitations on what could be done for her and I think God used this moment to show that He is willing to do more than we can ask or think. He provided for her needs even when she didn't voice them. It obviously grew her faith because we see her make a direct appeal on the finality of her son’s death later in the story. Whatever problem you have, don't withhold your needs from God. He already knows and is willing to help. He may just be waiting on you to give it to Him fully in faith expecting Him to move. Don't accept your lot in life, bring it to God and ask Him to change it. The next story in line here we see a statement from the Lord that sounds final but He listened to the prayers and tears of a man named Hezekiah in 2 Kings.

“About that time Hezekiah became deathly ill, and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to visit him. He gave the king this message: “This is what the Lord says: Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die. You will not recover from this illness.” When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, “Remember, O Lord, how I have always been faithful to you and have served you single-mindedly, always doing what pleases you.” Then he broke down and wept bitterly. But before Isaiah had left the middle courtyard, this message came to him from the Lord: “Go back to Hezekiah, the leader of my people. Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your ancestor David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you, and three days from now you will get out of bed and go to the Temple of the Lord. I will add fifteen years to your life, and I will rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my own honor and for the sake of my servant David.’” Then Isaiah said, “Make an ointment from figs.” So Hezekiah’s servants spread the ointment over the boil, and Hezekiah recovered! Meanwhile, Hezekiah had said to Isaiah, “What sign will the Lord give to prove that he will heal me and that I will go to the Temple of the Lord three days from now?” Isaiah replied, “This is the sign from the Lord to prove that he will do as he promised. Would you like the shadow on the sundial to go forward ten steps or backward ten steps?” “The shadow always moves forward,” Hezekiah replied, “so that would be easy. Make it go ten steps backward instead.” So Isaiah the prophet asked the Lord to do this, and he caused the shadow to move ten steps backward on the sundial of Ahaz!”

‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭20‬:‭1‬-‭11‬ ‭

"This is what the Lord says: Set your affairs in order for you are going to die. You will not recover from this illness." It doesn't get any more final than "The Lord said" so Hezekiah's first response was prayer. 

Because of Hezekiah's prayers and tears the Lord moves in mercy. The Lord heard his prayer and saw his tears in his distress. That is encouraging. When we are in our pain, God sees us and as we see here, can be willing to move for us. Prayer works. We see God heal Hezekiah, add 15 years to his life and rescue him and the city from the king of Assyria. 

Exceedingly and abundantly more than he could ask or think. That's God's track record, if we seek Him and His power. If you don't ask, how can you expect to receive? 

We see Jesus Himself touch on persistency in prayer in the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18. 

“One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’” Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?””

‭‭Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭1‬-‭8‬ 

I'm not at all sharing to say "name it and claim it and you will receive what you want" I'm just sharing what was put on my heart through these passages. I know I have a tendency myself to accept things at face value. I can look at a situation and that Eeyore mentality quickly creeps in “Well, can’t change the inevitable”. But, based on these passages, God may be willing to make the change I’m needing if I give it to Him. He wants us to persistently bring our needs to Him. 

Don't listen to the lies that say our faith is too little because we repeatedly ask God for something. I've heard that lie time and time again.

"If you had enough faith you would ask once and trust God and not have to keep praying" 

"If you were accepting of His will, you would accept what's happening to you."  

Lies from Satan are often subtle enough to sound reasonable. That's why we have to stay in the word to combat them. How else would you know Jesus says don't ask once and forget it. Be persistent. If He didn't want persistence, He wouldn't have given the parable. There’s a lot in that parable to unpack in itself but v6 sticks out to me on this topic "hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?" I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" 

Cry out to God persistently about your needs. It shows faith. It doesn't show lack of faith. Even through the silence, the fact that you keep praying while trusting and knowing He can is what He wants to see. Keep in mind Shadrach Meshach and Abednego's faith. Even if He doesn't, will you still put in the same effort in your prayers and walk with Him? 

God has a plan to give you a future and hope. Lean into that and not your own understanding as you ask for a breakthrough.