God delights in us taking from Him.
He does not deplete, and never runs dry.
In fact, He increases in strength when we take from Him.
What?! How is this so?
In John 4:1-33, Jesus (in human flesh) was wearied from journeying and the disciples were away getting lunch for Him. That was when Jesus ministered to a Samaritan woman who drank from Him. When His disciples came back to give Him food, Jesus said to them,
“I have food to eat of which you do not know.”
(John 4:32)
When the woman took from Jesus, It was food for Him! Jesus seems to be strengthened when someone receives from Him! This is humanly illogical, yet divinely true. Let us come boldly again and again to Jesus and take from Him as much as we want! He doesn’t grow more weary (unlike with human relationships) but delights in our taking!
When Jesus used the phrase ‘oh Ye of little faith?’ (Matthew 8:26), He is gently saying ‘why do you take so little?’
Consider this verse:
Ephesians 3:20 NIV
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine…
Look how God woos us to dream big and ask more from Him, because He is saying that our biggest and wildest imagination cannot surpass Him. When we dream big, our inexhaustible God has to demonstrate that He is bigger by topping our dream!
When we ask big from God and say ‘Amen’ to the dream that seems impossible to be fulfilled, others may laugh, ridicule or persecute.
A true story:
When a Rabbi declared to a class of Jewish boys that they would live till 120 years of age, only one boy shouted ‘Amen’ while all the other classmates ridiculed him. That boy ended up outliving every single one of his classmates at a ripe old age. Our big God has the final say!
But isn’t it selfish if I ask God for things for myself?
Let’s see what Scripture says about this:
1 Chronicles 4:10 NASB
Now Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that You would greatly bless me and extend my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm so that it would not hurt me!” And God brought about what he requested.
Not only did God answer Jabez’s personal requests, God calls him ‘more honourable than his brothers’ (1 Chronicles 4:9)! When we boldly ask from God, He does not call that selfish but deems it honourable!
What are your dreams if you know without a shadow of doubt that God will fulfill what we ask of Him? Let us freely ask and take from our loving Father – let’s watch Him do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we can ever ask or imagine!
Amen!