Ephesians 3:20 [God] is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think. –
‘Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.
Jeremiah 32:27 “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?
Daniel 3:17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.
Daniel 6:20 As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?”
Matthew 3:9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.
John 10:29-30 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
Romans 4:21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
Hebrews 7:25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
1 Corinthians 2:9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—
Psalms 36:9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.
1 Kings 3:13 I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days.
When Jesus faced an impossible situation–thousands of hungry people with very little food–He responded by praying. And His prayer resulted in God’s supernatural provision. Luke 9:16 says, “He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them, and broke them, and kept giving them to the disciples to set before the people.”
Yesterday, we began looking at three characteristics of Jesus’s prayer. First, Jesus prayed with gratitude. When facing a need, Jesus began by thanking God for what He had already provided.
Second, Jesus prayed with action. He prayed, but He also had a plan. He divided the crowd into groups of fifty and created a distribution plan for the food. If you have a need, your first response should be to pray about it. But prayer should never be a substitute for action. If you need a job, pray about it and send résumés. If you need healing, pray about it and go to the best doctor you can find. If you’re looking for a godly mate, pray about it and seek places where you can meet other Christians. Does taking action lessen the miracle of answered prayer? Not at all. Remember, God “is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20).
Third, and perhaps most importantly, Jesus prayed with faith. He did not allow the circumstances to diminish the size of His prayer. If I had been in Jesus’s shoes, I would have prayed, “Lord, please take their appetites away,” or, “Please send a thunderstorm that will scatter the crowd away from here.” We often limit our prayers based on our circumstances. If a loved one is facing an incurable illness, we pray, “Lord, please give them peace,” rather than, “Lord, heal them.” If the church is facing a resource shortage, we pray, “Lord, give us wisdom in cutting the budget,” rather than, “Lord, enlarge the hearts of Your people to be generous in their giving.” When Jesus prayed, He wasn’t looking at the massive crowd or the five loaves and two fish, wondering, How am I going to make this work? Luke 9:16 says Jesus prayed “looking up to heaven.” As He prayed with His eyes on God, He was reminded that God is capable of meeting every need we have–and more. (Jeffress)
