Limiting God
The Bible leaves no doubt about the magnificence and splendor of our God. God Himself reminds us repeatedly of His omnipotence, and the writers of Scripture were inspired by the Holy Spirit to pen these descriptions of His power and greatness:
“For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.” (Isaiah 45:18)
“Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee.” (Jeremiah 32:17)
“Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” (Jeremiah 33:3)
“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20,21)
“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8)
The Word of God reveals Him to be the Creator of the universe, the One Who parted the Red Sea, commanded the sun to stand still, walked on water, fed a huge crowd with a tiny lunch, healed the sick, and ultimately, rose from the dead.
God is the force that nobody can reckon with, and no one should have known that better than Israel, His own chosen people. Psalm 78 outlines some of Israel’s history and the remarkable work of God on their behalf. The psalmist says,
Marvelous things did He... (vs. 12)
He divided the sea and...made the waters to stand. (vs. 13)
He led them with a cloud. (vs. 14)
He gave them water out of the rock. (vs. 15)
He gave them manna – angels’ food! (vs. 24-25)
He gave them meat to eat. (vs. 27)
He compassionately forgave them. (vs. 38)
If Psalm 78 could have focused solely on this wonder-working God, it would have been a triumphant song of praise. But, in order to paint the whole picture, the writer had to include the response of God’s people, and that picture is not pretty.
They turned back. (vs. 9)
They refused to walk in His law. (vs. 10)
They forgot His works. (vs. 11)
They sinned yet more against Him. (vs. 17)
They tempted God. (vs. 18)
They spoke against God. (vs. 19)
They didn’t believe or trust. (vs. 22)
They flattered God and lied to Him. (vs. 36)
Perhaps the saddest of all is the summary in verse 41, Yes, they turned back and tempted God, and LIMITED the Holy One of Israel.
How do you limit the limitless God of the universe? How do you limit the omnipotent miracle worker Who made the blind to see and the deaf to hear? How do you limit the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the One Who boldly proclaims that nothing is too hard for Him?
We limit our incomparable God when we don’t believe. When we doubt His word. When we question His goodness. When our faith falters, and we forget how truly awesome He is. We limit Him just like Israel did—by refusing, by rebelling, by retreating. God has a perfect plan for mankind, and, in the end, no human effort or negative response will thwart His intent. But Scripture makes it clear that God’s work is curtailed when we fail to get on board with what He wants to do.
Let’s read Matthew’s account of Jesus’ experience in His hometown of Nazareth.
And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence. And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?...And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house. And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief. (Matthew 13:53-58)
Notice that the Bible doesn’t say that Jesus could not do mighty works in Nazareth. The Son of God can do whatever He wants to do. It says that He did not do what He was capable of doing because the townspeople failed to believe. They chose to rely on their own assumptions. They stuffed the Lord Jesus into their tiny box of familiarity. They clung only to what they could comprehend and control. And the tragedy is that they never even knew what they missed. Jesus could have done ‘exceeding abundantly’ above all they could have asked or thought. But He didn’t work because they wouldn’t believe.
I wonder how many times that has been true in my life. God didn’t, because Wanda wouldn’t. How many times has Jesus had to say, “I could have supplied that need for her, but she wouldn’t believe that I could. I could have given her that opportunity, but she wouldn’t trust me to come through for her. I could have solved that problem, but she wouldn’t give up control.” I’m sure there have been countless times that I have limited God by forcing Him into the little box of what I think is possible or preferable.
The Bible tells us next to nothing about Lot’s wife, but in Luke 17:32, we’re told to remember her. Why? She and Lot had made a life for themselves in a city that was so wicked that God had to destroy it. Before He sent the fire and brimstone recorded in Genesis 19, He sent angels to Lot with these instructions: Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed (vs. 17). God graciously arranged for their lives to be spared, but Lot’s wife did not think about the mercy God was showing in offering them deliverance. She did not focus on the power He had to shield them from disaster. She ignored the fact that God told them not to look behind as they left, and she turned back to gaze longingly at the position and possessions she thought she was giving up. And what did that accomplish for her? She was turned into a pillar of salt!
Do you suppose that this is what God had planned for Mrs. Lot? Of course not! He wanted to give her a fresh start, a second chance to establish a home that would honor Him. And He had the power to give her a new life, better than anything she could have imagined. But He didn’t because she wouldn’t. She limited His work because she wouldn’t let go of the trinkets and trivia she had built her life around. I believe that God left her frozen in time to remind us that limiting God results in nothing but a wasted life.
As a nation, Israel limited God by doubting and complaining, continually magnifying their problems and focusing on what they didn’t have or why they couldn’t be successful. So God didn’t, because they wouldn’t. As a community, Nazareth limited God by refusing to let go of their preconceived notions. Their unbelief told them that Jesus couldn’t possibly do everything He claimed He could do. So He didn’t, because they wouldn’t. As an individual, Mrs. Lot limited God by rebelling against His clear direction and making her own desires more important than what He planned to do for her. So He didn’t, because she wouldn’t. Romans 15:4 says, “...whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning.” God recorded these incidents to help us learn from others’ mistakes. I need to ask myself, “Am I limiting God in my life as they did? Am I refusing, rebelling, retreating – and missing out on the amazing work He wants to do in and through me? Is my unbelief squelching what God clearly has the power to accomplish? Is my lack of trust turning me into a figurative pillar of salt, stuck in suspended animation and missing out on the abundant life that Jesus promises?” I’m discouraged by honest answers to these questions until I remember that the God Who created the universe, controls nature, and conquered death is completely undaunted by my wobbly faith and inconsistent devotion. I can put all my past failure and faithlessness under the blood and trust Him to make me a vibrant testimony of His limitless grace and boundless love.
