Never Say "Never"

Those Peter Pan fans out there know that you never say "never" in Neverland. But our un-containable God who is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-benevolent wants to teach us that we should also never say "never" when it comes to God.

Take Matthew 17:20 for example. This is a never say "never" verse if I ever heard one:
He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

And there are many other examples of our un-containable God who makes the impossible possible, pushing us to never say "never."


1 When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. 2 The priests could not enter the temple of the LORD because the glory of the LORD filled it. 3 When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the LORD above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying,
"He is good;
his love endures forever." -2 Chronicles 7:1-3


While I have not seen fire come down from heaven, I can only imagine what it would look like. And I have seen other wonderful things happen... the Lord helping a family in need of comfort, healing a terrible wound, continuing to be with a young baby and family, bringing together two people. Even when it's not a physical healing, emotional healing is an even more beautiful triumph, because it is so difficult to conquer that part of our lives. And this I have seen. Somehow, I have see n the fire from heaven that has urged my soul to forgive, that has soothed my aching heart.

It probably comes as a surprise to most people that I love the Third Day song "Consuming Fire", but the harsh and loud tones remind me of the difficult work of God who refines and changes our hearts. Sometimes it's anything but easy. There are moments when we think it may "never" change. It may "never get better. But then, the love that gives us hope reminds us that with God, we can never say "never."



21 "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." -John 11:21-27

And this verse is so beautiful. Not just what Jesus did, but Martha's complete belief in something that seemed so impossible. When was that last time that we completely believed in God.

When we find it hard to forgive or let go, when we feel challenged by the uncertainties in the life ahead of us, when we are about to confront a challenge that seems too big...

Let us say: "But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."

It's tricky, because we can't get whatever we want... but whatever is in His plan and for His good will work out. And we know that God works for the ultimate good of all His children. It is quite true that something you really want may never happen. But then, that's different. It's not that it never can happen... it's that it never will happen, because it wasn't in God's design. God can do all things, but thank God that He does not do all things. Still, what gives us hopeis that we know of our powerful and wonderful God who can... in the 'never' situations.