Setting The Stage
I’ve always heard one of the best things you can do as a writer is to read…a lot. So I do my best to read as much as I can throughout each day. I read social media posts, blogs, devotionals, books, articles, you name it.
Well, this morning as I was reading, I came across a devotion* from a local pastor that really spoke to my heart. He quoted my favorite Bible verse, which immediately caught my attention. But then he talked about the promise of this passage in a way that really encouraged me and filled me with hope. So I thought, “Why wouldn’t I want to share this with my readers?”
I realize this is a little different because normally you’re hearing directly from me. But these words from someone else’s hands were too good not to share. I hope they give you an extra dose of encouragement and hope today, just like they did for me.
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“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
Do you believe this passage of Scripture? Do you really believe that God is able to do way more than you even know to ask or could ever imagine? When we truly believe that there is no limit to what God can accomplish, it changes the way we approach Him. Instead of tentatively asking Him, we will boldly petition Him…not with arrogance or entitlement, but with humility and thanksgiving.
When we are in seasons of uncertainty or waiting, it can be hard to remember the truth about God. Unanswered prayers can bring discouragement and even doubt. But time can be the best trainer, teaching us to wait with eager expectation and hope, even in the darkest of circumstances. In fact, the more desperate the circumstance, the greater the potential for God’s glory to be seen when He does answer.
So instead of allowing difficulty to draw us into worrying, we must learn to view it as a stage that is being perfectly set for the display of God’s glory. Have you ever been to a Broadway show? As the audience fills the theatre, the set stage is visible, but it is dark and empty. You can see the pieces and props, but they have no meaning until that spotlight shines and the stage comes to life as the story unfolds.
Our lives are no different. The stage is being set. A heartbreak here, a struggle there…they all serve to create the backdrop for God’s glory. You can know that one day the spotlight will shine and all those pieces will be used to tell an incredible story of God’s grace and faithfulness.
Dear Lord, I want to believe more than anything that you are going to blow my expectations for my life out of the water. I want to trust that you are setting the stage to put your grace and faithfulness on display in my life. Give me the boldness and the faith to believe those things, and to look expectantly at what you have in store. In Jesus' name, amen.
*This devotion originated with Touching Lives Ministries