I remember a beach trip when my boys were in their early teens. They asked to swim to a buoy that was a couple hundred yards offshore. They were good swimmers and the water was calm, but there were jet skis in the area. So, I said no. I took no pleasure in disappointing them, but I made the decision from a father’s wisdom.
At the end of the day, they had another request. They asked to get ice cream. I said yes to that request and was delighted to bring pleasure to them. In fact, we didn’t just stop off anywhere for ice cream: We got Haagen-Dazs!
God sometimes says “no” to us, but he delights to say “yes” to us—and he even delights to say yes to us in the most marvelous ways. Ephesians 3:20 says, God “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”
Picture Paul preparing to write that sentence. He says to himself, “I’m going to remind them that God is able to do whatever we ask.” But then he says to himself, “No, that’s not enough. I’m going to tell them that God can do whatever we ask or imagine.” Then he pauses and says, “No, there’s more to it. I’m going to tell them that God can do all we ask or imagine.” Again, he stops and says, “No, that’s not sufficient. I’m going to tell them that God can do more than all we ask or imagine.” But then he pauses once more and says to himself, “No, even that’s not a complete way to describe God’s power and interest in our lives. I’m going to tell them that God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.”
God wants to bless us in the most unexpected ways. He says no sometimes, and a few weeks ago I taught about how to trust God’s “no.” But it doesn’t bring him pleasure to disappoint his children. He delights to say “yes!” Let’s look deeper into that wonderful truth this Sunday.
--Tom
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