Only God

I was reading this morning about the story of Abraham and Sarah, how she laughed when God told Abraham that they would conceive a child in their 90's. It is pretty humorous. My grandmother is 94, so, yeah, I can see the humor. But my grandmother has had two kids. Sarah had had none. She was barren for 90 years. Only God.

I live in a world of "only God" because of my job. It's part of the deal for me. Our church can do everything right. We can do ministry with excellence, preach the best sermons, make it easy to connect with God and others, play incredible music, have have the best graphics and technology, and have the most dynamic children's and youth ministries on the planet...but there is still an 'only God' element.

I can't make people get out of bed on Sunday morning and come to church. Only God can. I can't make a newcomer make plans on Saturday night to try out our church for the first time. Only God can. I can't force people away from their coffee, cereal and the Sunday paper to worship. Only God can. And, yet, He does. God is continuing to bring new people to Church of the Way (and churches all across the world) because he is drawing them to Himself. Though this is one of those deals that can be frustrating (because we all want control, right?), it's also one of the most freeing things about ministry. Moreover, I've found that it applies to life as well.

My guess is that you've got some areas in your life that are 'only God' areas. That is, it doesn't matter how much money, time or energy you throw at it, there is an element to it that you can't control. There is something that needs to be done that only God can do. When we get to our 'only God' wit's end, we're starting to get in a better spot because, then, we're starting to depend less on ourselves and more on God. When we have an 'only God' spot in our lives, we get on our knees before God and pray like we've never prayed before. When we have an 'only God' area, we tell others to pray for us. We study His Word. We begin to trust. We cling to faith...because it's all we have.

Maybe you're one of those people in that isn't sure about Jesus yet. I'll bet you've got an area of your life that is puzzling you. Maybe you can't get it fixed. Have you considered that it might be an 'only God' area? Maybe you're a Christian but you like control. Maybe it's time you gave it up. Maybe Jesus wants to tell you that 'only God' can step in where you've stepped in far too often. Is it time for you to let God do what 'only God' can?