Just Because God CAN Do Something, Does That Mean He WILL?
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Recently, I wrote this in an Instagram post:
“We tend to keep our expectations low because we’re not convinced of God’s promise to do ‘infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes’ (Ephesians 3:20 TLB).”
In response, a reader asked, “Ephesians says God is ‘able’ to do infinitely more, but does that count as a promise that He will?”
It’s true that the verse says God is “able.” Here’s how the full verse reads: “Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes.”
So, yes, God is able, but does that mean He actually will?
This is an important question because if we don’t believe God will actually do beyond what we imagine, we will keep our thinking small, and our small thinking will keep what we experience small as well.
I’ve come to believe there’s nothing God is able to do that He is not willing and wanting to do for us, and I want to share a few reasons why.
GOD IS WILLING TO DO WHAT HE IS ABLE TO DO
As I was thinking about this reader’s question, one of the first Bible stories that came to mind was of the man with leprosy found in Matthew 8:2-3.
The man said to Jesus: “If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean” (NLT). He knew Jesus was able, but he questioned whether He would do it. Jesus replied by saying, “I am willing…be healed!”
That right there shows us who God is and what His heart is toward us. He is able, AND He is willing to do for us what He is able to do.
ANOTHER EXAMPLE
Let’s take a look at another passage that informs our question as to whether Jesus’ ability can be equated with the promise that He will express that ability.
In Matthew 9:27 it says, “As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, ‘Have mercy on us, Son of David!’
When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, ‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?’
‘Yes, Lord,’ they replied.
Then he touched their eyes and said, ‘According to your faith let it be done to you,’ and their sight was restored” (NIV).
We see here again Jesus’ willingness to actually do what He is able to do. If He can do it, and we believe it, like these two men, we can receive it!
MORE OF GOD’S ABILITY
Here are a few other places in the Bible that talk about what God is able to do, with the implication clearly being that because He is able, He will:
He is able to aid those who are tempted (Heb. 2:18).
He is able to make all grace abound toward you (2 Cor. 9:8).
He is able to save (Heb. 7:25).
He is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault
and with great joy (Jude 1:24-25).
God is able to do all these things, and His ability is His promise that He will.
Think about it like this: What kind of Father would He be if He was able to provide something but refused to do it? Jesus assures us that God is a good Father, and we can expect good things from Him (Matthew 7:9-11).
WE MUST BELIEVE TO RECEIVE
Sometimes we don’t see promises come to pass when we fall into doubt or unbelief. We see this one of the times Jesus was in Nazareth. The people there “were deeply offended and refused to believe in him…and so he did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief” (Matt. 13:57-58).
But when we’re exercising our faith and we ask, Jesus says we will receive (Matt. 7:7).
Asking expresses trust in God’s ability and His willingness, and that kind of faith opens the door for us to receive, but belief is key.
I believe that God will do as much for us as we can believe Him for—and, yes, as Ephesians 3:20 says, even more! Personally, I take this as a promise.
GOD OF THE IMPOSSIBLE
God is a big God, and He has big plans for each of us. So maybe it’s time to start dreaming about and hoping for more!
Is God the God of the Impossible? Or is He the god of the probable?
Is He is the God of the Good News? Or is he the god of the neutral news?
Do you believe He is who He says He is?
Don’t let your circumstances dictate what you believe about God. Instead, let God tell you what to believe about your circumstances.
Believe that God is bigger, more able, and even better than you can imagine.
What are you believing God for today? Let me know in the comments below—I’d love to stand with you in prayer for it!
In purpose and faith,
P.S.
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