God is Able

God is able to make all grace abound to you,  
so that in all things at all times,

having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

2 Corinthians 9:8

God called Abraham to a land that he would receive as an inheritance.  Within that same promise was another:  that he would be the father of a great multitude.  When he arrived in Canaan after a long journey, the people greeted him:

“Welcome to our land.  What is your name?”

“My name is, Father of a multitude,” he replied.

“Oh,” the people said.  "Your name means Father of a multitude?

How many children do you have?”

"Well … I don’t have any children.” 

                                                             

Finally, Abraham and Sarah decided that God must have made a promise He couldn’t keep. “God needs our help,” they concluded, and came up with a plan that was acceptable according to the customs of their day.  The consequence was a tragic family situation that led to years of heartache.  To top it all off, when Abraham presented his self-made solution to the Lord, God said, “No, Abraham.  Ishmael is not your heir.  You will have a son through your wife, Sarah.”

When God makes a promise, He has the power to keep it, and He does not need our help or our interference. His timetable is vastly different from ours as well.  Abraham waited 25 years from promise to fulfillment. When he was 100 years old, and Sarah was 90, God gave them the impossible. 

Excerpts from Salvation by Faith and Your Will

Morris Venden, R&H Publishing Association, 1978

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Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness,

And all these things shall be added unto you.

Allelu, alleluia.

Ask and it shall be given unto you, seek and ye shall find,

Knock and the door shall be opened unto you.

Allelu, alleluia.

Man shall not live by bread alone,

But by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.

Allelu, alleluia.

The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 405