A Divine Baskin-Robbins

Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes.  Ephesians 3:20 (TLB)

I am not a risk taker nor am I a thrill seeker.

I don't challenge the laws of gravity or the law of probability. 

I firmly believe that what goes up also comes down...with a thud, and the probability of me ending up on life support is higher when I attempt to do anything that involves risk.  

So I don't.

Just last week I tried to get out of my car while still wearing my seatbelt. 

When I could eat ice cream, my favorite flavor was vanilla. It isn’t just my favorite ice cream flavor. It is also the way I live my life.   

You can't go wrong with vanilla.  It's safe with absolutely no risk. 

This is why I find it so surprising and somewhat humorous that I now show up on social media, have a place in people's inboxes, and also have a website. 

Unlike my vanilla ice cream flavor, these things have an inherent risk such as failure; having to be vulnerable; and being thought a fool.  

I'd rather live my vanilla life than risk living the edgier "flavors" of chocolate or even Rocky Road, thank you very much.

I was content living my life in the background and quietly sharing my passions with my inner circle.

But God had other plans for me.  

Plans I didn't even know could exist, so I had no idea to even think to ask God for what He's doing in my life right now! 

Now glory be to God, who by HIS MIGHTY POWER AT WORK within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of - infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires thoughts, or hopes.

Isn't it ironic, and somewhat sad, that we believe God raised Jesus from the dead but in the same breath can doubt that that same power is at work in our lives as well?

Friend, are you afraid to dream or hope, or even ask God for something because you are limiting God to your own understanding and the world's definition of "power" and "able"?

Have you resigned yourself to the belief that things will never change?

I did.

Are you currently praying for a relationship to be restored or for a loved one to come to know Jesus Christ? 

I am. 

Are you struggling with where your place is right now? 

I'm still not certain of mine. 

Are you questioning whether or not God has heard your prayer? 

I sure have. 

Paul, the author of Ephesians, declares the truth he knew about God – that He is able to do infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes. 

It is one thing to read these words in Ephesians 3:20 and quite another to believe them and EXPECT God to show up in our prayers, our struggling, and our questioning in ways completely beyond our imagination.  

May I encourage you today to start believing that these words were written with you in mind?

We don't have to know what to ask of God.  We just have to believe that He still does Ephesians 3:20 things and we should expect them in our life too.

Think of God as a divine Baskin-Robbins. Going in you’re not sure of what "flavor" you want but then, without even asking, He gives you something beyond what you could have ever thought to ask for. 

There is no vanilla with God!