AUGUST 20 "GOD CAN DO, OR CAN HE?
THIS is not the answer to prayer that Esther is looking for, ie: Fight. She is going to The King (A God type figure in this story) and as we all know, The King (Jesus Christ) can do anything, right? The King can put a stop to this! However, to Esther's surprise the King says, "I cannot!" Whoever heard of such words coming out of the mouth of a King! How many times have we asked our King, and quoting with assurance "you can do anything" and God comes back to us and says, "this I cannot do, but if you will do thus and so then...." The King says he cannot stop it but what he can do is make it so that they can fight and defend themselves. Not quite the answer Esther was looking for and often not the answer we are looking for either, if we will be quit honest.
The King has limited his own self by this law that causes him not to be able to reverse what he has signed off with his own signet ring, he has limited his own ability to intervene, crazy, isn't it...or is it? I believe our King, King Jesus, has limited himself in a similar manner. God has limited himself in his ability to intervene in the affairs of human life. There is a paradox here, that although God can do anything, He cannot do anything. He could not slay the Giants for Israel in the "Promised Land", they had to do that for themselves. So much so that their unbelief that they themselves couldn't go in and slay them caused his people to have to make an about face and totally retreat from the mission that God has brought them all the way to that point to fulfill. God cannot heal every person, or every Christian dieing of Cancer. God cannot save every marriage on the brink of divorce. God cannot save every person jumping off a rooftop to kill themselves. God cannot intervene in every rape, every child molestation, every murder and every genocide. There are things so horrible to even speak of, that are happening right now, that God (as much as he would like to) will not and can not intervene in for reasons beyond our finite understanding. God has limited himself even as this King (this God like figure) has limited himself in this story. Imagine Esther's shock when the King says, "no document written in the King's name and sealed with his ring can be revoked". She must have thought, "you're joking, that's the most ridiculous statement I ever heard, you wrote if for crying out loud, unwrite it, my people are going to die!!"
Think of it, didn't God himself say, " I will never again wipe out the face of humanity on the earth by a flood and sealed that promise with his signet ring, "the rainbow". So what does that mean? It means, that by God's own hand, he has limited himself from doing something. So if something says, "God can do anything" we know there's for sure one thing He cannot do (and many more) and that is wipe out the face of humanity with a flood.
Okay, so what is THE POINT?? The point is we should not always approach God with the "you can do anything, so do it" mentality (because we don't know to what point God has limited himself in our situation) but we can ALWAYS approach God, our King with the mindset that He will for sure help us and that's what the King tells Esther. He basically tells her, I cannot do this, but I can do this; and that is make it so that you can fight. God understands the limitations of the King and works with this. Christians want to pray and have God wipe out there problems and God says, "I can't" and we say "what do you mean you can't, you're God, you can do anything" and God says back to us, "well, you're wrong, I can't but what I can do is make it so you can fight and I promise if you fight I will bring the victory. The end result will be the same, it just won't be how you thought".
You may be praying right now, for God, the God who can do anything, to intervene and perhaps it's time to take a break from praying and take some action. That's where Faith comes in. It doesn't take faith to pray, it takes faith to step out in action, once you have prayed. As much as we want, the issue is not just "supernaturally" going to go away or disappear because you have asked The King to make it go away. If you have started to wonder if God even hears your prayers, maybe the issue is not that He doesn't hear you it's that you don't hear him! Maybe it's that God has heard you and responded, " I can't do that but I can do this and if you will do that then together, we can get you through this". But can you hear God's still small voice as he speaks this to you or are you to busy screaming, "YOU CAN DO ANYTHING, NOW REVERSE THIS!"
I'm not so sure God can just do anything, but I am sure that the help you want is for sure available and that the ends you desire are possible, if you are able to hear God's still small voice, ihis solution and guidance and getting through, what you're going through. To Esther, the King said, "Fight" I can give you the opportunity "to fight", that's what I can do for you. Esther and the Jews worked with what The King gave her, but that is where many throw their hands up in the air and say, "allot of good you are and you call yourself a King" and they walk away never able to experience God's glorious victory that he wanted to bring, not just by his shear force and omnipotence, but rather a victory brought forth by both of you, working together!
The King has limited his own self by this law that causes him not to be able to reverse what he has signed off with his own signet ring, he has limited his own ability to intervene, crazy, isn't it...or is it? I believe our King, King Jesus, has limited himself in a similar manner. God has limited himself in his ability to intervene in the affairs of human life. There is a paradox here, that although God can do anything, He cannot do anything. He could not slay the Giants for Israel in the "Promised Land", they had to do that for themselves. So much so that their unbelief that they themselves couldn't go in and slay them caused his people to have to make an about face and totally retreat from the mission that God has brought them all the way to that point to fulfill. God cannot heal every person, or every Christian dieing of Cancer. God cannot save every marriage on the brink of divorce. God cannot save every person jumping off a rooftop to kill themselves. God cannot intervene in every rape, every child molestation, every murder and every genocide. There are things so horrible to even speak of, that are happening right now, that God (as much as he would like to) will not and can not intervene in for reasons beyond our finite understanding. God has limited himself even as this King (this God like figure) has limited himself in this story. Imagine Esther's shock when the King says, "no document written in the King's name and sealed with his ring can be revoked". She must have thought, "you're joking, that's the most ridiculous statement I ever heard, you wrote if for crying out loud, unwrite it, my people are going to die!!"
Think of it, didn't God himself say, " I will never again wipe out the face of humanity on the earth by a flood and sealed that promise with his signet ring, "the rainbow". So what does that mean? It means, that by God's own hand, he has limited himself from doing something. So if something says, "God can do anything" we know there's for sure one thing He cannot do (and many more) and that is wipe out the face of humanity with a flood.
Okay, so what is THE POINT?? The point is we should not always approach God with the "you can do anything, so do it" mentality (because we don't know to what point God has limited himself in our situation) but we can ALWAYS approach God, our King with the mindset that He will for sure help us and that's what the King tells Esther. He basically tells her, I cannot do this, but I can do this; and that is make it so that you can fight. God understands the limitations of the King and works with this. Christians want to pray and have God wipe out there problems and God says, "I can't" and we say "what do you mean you can't, you're God, you can do anything" and God says back to us, "well, you're wrong, I can't but what I can do is make it so you can fight and I promise if you fight I will bring the victory. The end result will be the same, it just won't be how you thought".
You may be praying right now, for God, the God who can do anything, to intervene and perhaps it's time to take a break from praying and take some action. That's where Faith comes in. It doesn't take faith to pray, it takes faith to step out in action, once you have prayed. As much as we want, the issue is not just "supernaturally" going to go away or disappear because you have asked The King to make it go away. If you have started to wonder if God even hears your prayers, maybe the issue is not that He doesn't hear you it's that you don't hear him! Maybe it's that God has heard you and responded, " I can't do that but I can do this and if you will do that then together, we can get you through this". But can you hear God's still small voice as he speaks this to you or are you to busy screaming, "YOU CAN DO ANYTHING, NOW REVERSE THIS!"
I'm not so sure God can just do anything, but I am sure that the help you want is for sure available and that the ends you desire are possible, if you are able to hear God's still small voice, ihis solution and guidance and getting through, what you're going through. To Esther, the King said, "Fight" I can give you the opportunity "to fight", that's what I can do for you. Esther and the Jews worked with what The King gave her, but that is where many throw their hands up in the air and say, "allot of good you are and you call yourself a King" and they walk away never able to experience God's glorious victory that he wanted to bring, not just by his shear force and omnipotence, but rather a victory brought forth by both of you, working together!
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