Can You Do the Greater Works?
A few years ago, our pediatrician noticed one of our kids had an unusual heartbeat. She sent us for some tests and then called with the bad news—our child had a growth on her heart. The doctor suggested we take her to a heart specialist who would be able to give us more answers about what was wrong and what we could do. We scheduled the appointment at the earliest opening—one week away.
Such a big and potentially serious unknown in the life of one’s child feels terrifying, but we also had seen God do many miracles in our lives and the lives of our friends. We knew that his possible includes tumors disappearing, so we called a few trusted friends who are mighty in prayer, and we began praying and declaring God’s healing power over our child.
The day of the appointment came, and the specialist could not find a growth. Three different medical professionals had previously identified the growth, and now it was nowhere to be found. The specialist had no explanation, but we knew why.
Toward the end of his earthly ministry, Jesus told his disciples, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12 NIV).
When Jesus said we could do “even greater things” than those he did, he ripped the lid off of what’s possible in the life of the believer. Jesus did some pretty incredible things while on earth—like raising the dead, walking on water, and turning water into wine. What that tells me is, when we are facing an “impossibility” in our lives, his possible is bigger.
When we face impossible situations, it’s easy to meditate on the likely negative outcomes. It’s easy to remember the times when no miracle happened. While I can’t offer you a perfect explanation for why bad things happen or why we don’t always experience the miracles we pray for, I can tell you this—the faith that works miracles doesn’t focus on the impossible, but on what’s possible with God. (In my book and in this blog, I talk in more depth about how to process our disappointment when we don’t see the healing or breakthrough we’ve prayed for.)
Recently, I reread the story of King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20, when he and the nation of Judah found themselves facing an impossibility. Several enemy armies were coming against them, and they were outnumbered significantly. In the natural, they had no chance of victory. Knowing this, but knowing that God is bigger than our natural circumstances, King Jehoshaphat prayed to God, asking for his help and protection. He ended with this beautiful statement of faith in the face of the impossible, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (2 Chron. 20:12 NIV).
In response, God sent a prophetic word saying that he would defeat the enemy armies for them. He told Jehoshaphat and the army to go to the battlefield the next day, where they would see what God would do. He said, “You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you” (2 Chron. 20:17).
So the next day, the army went out, and Jehoshaphat appointed men to lead them in praise to God as they marched. And the Bible tells us, “As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated” (2 Chron. 20:22). God had told Jehoshaphat he wouldn’t have to fight that battle, and he didn’t—in the natural. But he certainly did fight it in the spirit.
When Jehoshaphat faced an impossible situation, he positioned himself in faith and leaned into God’s possible. And when he received a promise from God, he believed that promise before it happened, and he praised God for that victory before he saw it. In fact, Judah’s praises actually initiated the breakthrough. As they began to sing, the Lord acted.
How much more true will this be for us, who live in the new covenant and have the Spirit of God within us? Whatever impossible situation you face, remember this:
1. God is for you, and his promises are good.
2. Praising God in faith before you see the breakthrough initiates the breakthrough.
3. You are anointed with the power of God to do the greater works for his glory.
Don’t lose heart when you see those impossibilities before you, because impossibilities bow before the name of Jesus. He has anointed you with his Spirit and put his power within you, and now you can release God’s possible. Jesus meant what he said when he promised that when we pray in his name we can do even greater works than he did.
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