If you have children then you know how fun it is to get your kids something that they’ve been asking for! As parents we love to give good things to our children. I’ve never had my kids ask for a video game and got them coal instead. For some reason, though, God gets a bad rap with some people and they perceive him as an abusive father. They think God’s out to get us the first chance he gets. The Bible tells us that compared to God we are “evil”. So if we being “evil” give good gifts when our children ask us, how much more does God give us good things when we ask?

We live in a world that is full of abrasive people! The really difficult part about dealing with these people is, you never know where they’ll be and when they’ll be there. You never know what day they are going to show up. You’re driving along the road and BAM! A jerk comes out of nowhere! It would be so much easier if God would give you a heads up. Like “today at 10 a.m CST you will encounter a complete and total jerk! Get ready!!!” But that isn’t the way it works. Most of the time we get caught off guard by them. These events have a way of stealing our peace and our joy not just in the moment but for the rest of the day, week, or sometimes in extreme cases, years. We get frustrated and angry at what they did to us and it can affect us in a negative way. We want to get back at them. We want to tell them off!

That doesn’t mean you have to be a pushover but whenever we can take the high road and stay in peace, we should. It’s not easy all of the time but your life will be so much better if you do.

Have you ever had a hard time believing that something was true? This man has come to Jesus because he’s heard the stories about Jesus healing people but now, in this moment he’s asking for healing for his child and Jesus says “Anything is possible if you believe” and he says “I believe” and in the same sentence he continues and says “help my unbelief”. Jesus doesn’t rebuke him. He doesn’t send him away. Instead He does exactly what the man asked Him to do. He made up the difference. That’s what Jesus does for all of us.

Where have you stopped believing God? Where have you stopped standing in faith? Where are you doubting God? It’s time to start standing again. When doubt comes in don’t back away! Keep standing and ask Jesus to help you if you find yourself doubting in the midst of waiting for your miracle to come to pass. Ask him to make up the difference. He will always meet you wherever you are.

Every time I read about the Israelites and their bad attitudes, I’m amazed. God had just delivered them from being slaves. He has miraculously delivered them time and time again and they still find a way to complain. I think it’s comical until I catch myself doing the exact same thing. Jesus has saved me and He has never failed me but sometimes I still find myself complaining about things going on in my life. Maybe you’ve been complaining about some things in your life.

I love this passage of scripture! The Bible is full of God’s promises to humanity. He made promises to David, Gideon, Abraham, Jacob and the list goes on and on. This passage says that their promises are ours! Not because we are good but because Jesus is good!

What do you need in your life? I want to encourage you to find the promise in God’s word that goes with what you are needing and start proclaiming that promise over that area of your life.