Ephesians 3:19-20 “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” God is able.
I once had a couch with a head. I mean, not exactly…but this couch, sigh. We bought it about six years into our marriage. It was gorgeous. I mean, caramel colored leather, comfy, and even had a sleeper sofa. And a bargain!
But it was one of the first furniture pieces we’d ever bought for ourselves. And when that leather sofa was only a couple of years old, it started to form a head. Or, should I say, the back of a head. Right there on its big cushy arm, where my husband always laid his head. And I’m not talking about fading. I’m talking about full on back of the head shaped patch where all the leather began to peel away.
I should probably start saying “leather” at this point, right?
I’m not saying anyone tricked us at the furniture store. I’m just saying we were young, shopping for a couch for the first time in our lives – with a toddler in tow and a very pregnant belly present.
The problem was, that good deal wasn’t such a good deal after all. And by the time the couch looked really bad, we had three kiddos and were living in a new house that needed some fixing up, and came with a little bit higher of a mortgage than our previous home. A new couch was far from an actual need at the time, and also wasn’t a great use of our finances.
So we lived with it. And I prayed I would be content with the couch that worked perfectly well, even if it left peeling “leather” all over the floor. Even if it was oversized enough I couldn’t find a couch cover to hide that ugly HUGE head spot it had RIGHT IN PLAIN SIGHT.
Why am I telling you all of this?
Well, that isn’t the end of the story, that’s why.
I accepted the ugly couch. I hoped for a new couch one day, and I really did work on being thankful and content for that ugly couch, knowing full well we live in a world full of paradoxes like families who can’t put food on the table, with neighbors who buy a new couch just because the “leather” starts to peel on their old one.
The Lord did grant me contentment. A new couch became a “oh, maybe one day” kind of thing. Life went on, the couch held us up just fine. I remember one day passingly sighing a prayer of, “Lord, one day, provide a new couch” and moving on. I don’t even know why I uttered that single prayer. But I did.
And it wasn’t but a few days later, a friend of mine texted me. She happened to be moving to a home a few minutes from mine, and had been gifted a large sectional couch in used but excellent condition – only it wouldn’t fit through her new front doorway.
“Need a couch? This one has to go, we can’t get it through our doorway. We can bring it over, today.”
What? She literally did NOT even know I had weakly asked God to maybe-you-know-one-day-if-it’s-not-too-much-trouble-but-it’s-fine-if-it-never-happens send us a couch.
And lo and behold, there it was.
This couch had no giant bald head spot on it then, and it still doesn’t now. My kids have loved the heck out of this couch and it has some seams that need re-stitching at this point, but I literally do not go a day in my life without looking into my living room and remembering that story of God’s kindness.
He promises to meet our needs – and a couch isn’t even a need, y’all! I know that. He showed me that and granted me peace and contentment, and we all just carried on.
But then out of his immeasurable kindness (and the incredibly generous heart of a friend), he delivered a giant couch to my front porch anyway!
Getting there, I promise.
So I knew God could do something like that, I’d experienced it on a much more profound level when our second born had a life threatening illness. But knowing God can do something, even acknowledging it aloud, and experiencing it are two different things.
We can believe with all our heart God is able to do something, and not really see it or begin to understand until he does.
And we all know, sometimes he doesn’t. But even when he doesn’t, he’s doing something.
So I knew God could drop a couch into my living room. I didn’t expect him to, though. I mean, I never even imagined that. Why would I imagine that? It’s kind of weird and crazy. And not super important.
Except now, I have a couch in my living room that draws me to give thanks to God every day. So, that’s kind of cool.
And of all things, I was reminded of my couch story as I read about Lazarus this week (head over to John chapter 11 if you need a refresher).
I know, my couch with a head is nothing like a Lazarus who’s dead.
I got it, I know. I’m not trying to be far fetched.
But. When Jesus finally goes to Mary and Martha, Lazarus’ sisters, the ill Lazarus is super dead. Four days in the tomb. And Jesus is talking to Martha, and she tells him “If you’d been here, he wouldn’t have died. But, I know whatever you ask God to do, God will do.” And Jesus tells her, “Your brother will rise again.”
And I don’t know exactly how one is supposed to react when they’re told someone is going to rise from the dead, but Martha’s reaction isn’t it. I mean, if you ask me.
She says, “I know. He’ll rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”
Now, maybe Martha was resting in the truth of who Jesus was, and trusting him, and being fully content. I don’t know. That sounds more like Mary to me.
But maybe, she heard Jesus say that Lazarus would rise again, and she uttered a truth she knew, one that was supposed to give peace, and she accepted it, without really hearing what Jesus was saying.
And isn’t that just like us?
In our most desperate needs (not my couch, obviously) – we cry out to God. We repeat trite things to ourselves or accept them blankly from well-meaning friends, and we really, truly may be at peace and content with statements like these:
“I know God has a plan.”
“God will take care of/provide for/comfort you.”
“We just have to trust God.”
And those things are super true! And we may even think to ourselves,
I know God can heal me. I know God can provide for this bill that I have no idea how to pay. I know God can restore this relationship.
Just like Martha said,
I believe you, Jesus. You can do anything.
Your brother will rise again.
Oh yeah, I know, Jesus. At the resurrection on the last day, he’ll rise. Yep.
And then Jesus reminds her-
I AM the Resurrection. AND the Life.
Our faith is so small!
BUT.
Our lack of understanding doesn’t thwart who God is. Or his ability to do mighty things.
Lord give us faith to believe on who you are! To remember your greatness, and to have great faith, even if it be small. Open our eyes to see the WONDER of your glory!
This passage in John reminds us of the GREATNESS of our King.
A King who is able because He is.
He is able to comfort, because He is the Comforter. 2 Corinthians 1:4
He is able to give us peace, because He is the Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
He is able to love because He is Love. 1 John 4:8
He is able to resurrect because He is the Resurrection. John 11:25
He is able to give life because He is the Life. John 11:25
He is able to rescue because He is the Rescuer. Galatians 1:4
He is able to redeem because He is the Redeemer. Ephesians 1:7
He is able to provide because He is our Provider. Matthew 6:31-33
He is able to reconcile because He is Reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:19
He is able to deliver because He is our Deliverer. Colossians 1:14
He is able to make a way because He is the Way. John 14:6
He is able to tell the truth because He is the Truth. John 14:6
He is able — because He is.
He is able to ________, because He IS __________.
And He did.
John 11: 40-44
Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
Soli Deo Gloria-
