23 Aug 2010
Immeasurably More…..
(Note – it has taken me almost a month to write this….)
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV)
I heard an incredible testimony Sunday night about those two words…….
I’m going to “transpose” some of the highlights and then below is a video that I took on my blackberry of Sue telling her story. The sound and video quality aren’t that good but the quality of the testimony is incredible.
Here’s an overview of what she said…….
Sue and her husband Ryan have been blessed with two biological children and they felt God was telling them that their third child was supposed to come to them by means of adoption.
Through various ways and means, God led them to Haiti and to God’s Littlest Angels.
In November of 2009, Ryan and Sue traveled to Haiti and spent 3 precious, important, fast and short days with their son Cleo. Leaving to go home knowing that it could be 12 to 18 months until they saw him again was, shall we say, extremely challenging……
But something happened when Sue got home. She was reading in her personal devotions and came to the verse that I’ve posted above. She started repeating that verse and most importantly, those two words, Immeasurably More, over and over and over again.
More importantly, she started praying about those words. And asking God to do immeasurably more when it comes to their son. In particular, she started praying that God would bring Cleo home before Christmas (keep in mind, that is November and she’s looking at Christmas!)
Here’s a quick summary of the rest of the story…….
- She prayed without ceasing that God would do immeasurably more in caring for their son and bringing him home sooner.
- God allowed a horrible event to happen in the earthquake.
- There were many good things that happened because of and through the earthquake.
- The Haitian government and the US government worked together to grant Humanitarian Parole to 83 kids at God’s Littlest Angels.
- On Friday, January 22, after a very long night waiting in the Miami airport, Ryan and Sue were united with Cleo and were able to bring Cleo home.
Oh and as “icing on the cake” guess what? Their extended family, due to scheduling conflicts didn’t have their big family Christmas party until the weekend of January 30.
That’s right, Cleo made it home in time for Christmas……
Sue had a couple of important points that really touched me and I think they will most people:
- We have a really big God. A REALLY BIG GOD. A lot bigger than we give him credit for.
- We typically don’t ask God for big enough stuff. We focus on small details while God says He will do immeasurably more. As in “off the charts” more than what we ask.
Take a few minutes, listen to the video (sorry for the quality – I neglected to bring my flip video camera, so it was just done on my blackberry) and then read on (below the video)…..
But then ask yourself a couple of questions:
1. Do you believe that God is bigger, WAY BIGGER than what you normally expect and plan for?
2. What issues are you facing in your personal life that you could ask God to do immeasurably more with?
3. Considering the issues that the kids (and adults) in Haiti are facing, what can and should you pray that God will accomplish to take care of the people who are suffering so much?
4. What is God calling you to do to help make a difference for the children and the families in Haiti?
A friend of mine has a favorite saying, “Go BIG or Go Home, and I don’t wanna go home!”
Now go, dream big dreams and ask God to show you how you can help HIM do immeasurably more…..
Thanks for listening, thanks for praying and thanks for your support of the kids in Haiti.
Tom
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