10/17/2023
What are the works and miracles that we do in the name of Jesus? Are they greater than those done by Jesus Himself, or are we a disappointment to ourselves, and God? To get at the root of this feeling we must explore our belief, understanding, and ability to pray effectively. When Jesus asked for the cup to be taken from Him in the Garden of Gethsemane do we think He was disappointed when it wasn’t?
“"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.”
John 14:12 ESV
I have heard this scripture taught many times, and each time it was taught in the same manner... “Jesus says that we can not only do what He did, but we can do greater things than He did.” But, before we get into being disappointed in ourselves, let’s consider an alternative view of this verse; one I think is more than valid.
Jesus first says that we must believe in Him, and that when we do we will perform the works that he does. This goes back to not only believing that Jesus is the Messiah, but that He is the Son of God, and more than that... He is in God... doing the works of God.
“Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.”
John 14:10 ESV
Whoops!!!! You are probably asking yourself... “That is a really different from how I pray for things to be! I ask for those things, those miracles that I desire! Are you telling me that I should pray for those things that God would want done in and through me?” And the answer is “Yes I am!”
When we believe in Jesus we do more than just acknowledge his existence and who He is; we begin to change into Him, and this means that our own will diminishes and the will of God replaces it as the focus of our lives. Just as Jesus asked us to believe that He was in the Father, and the Father in Him... we need to ask ourselves if that is true in our own lives.
Now let’s look at how we pray... when we pray we are meant to be reconciling our will with God’s. We tell Him how we would like things to be... “Heal me Father”, and He tells us what His will for us is, and asks us to join Him in it. What if, during our prayer for healing, His voice said “Not right now” or “That is not my plan for you.”? What if, after praying until our sweat became drops of blood, God was adamant that we should not be healed? Could you say “Your will not mine be done” and then walk calmly in it, and into what lay ahead?
This is what it means to believe in Jesus. It isn’t using our belief and will to do those things we desire, but rather, placing the Father’s will above our own, and doing those things that He wills. The man in Jesus would have gone straightway to Lazarus when He heard of his illness, but Jesus the Son of God did His Father’s will and waited two days... Lazarus died, and Jesus wept. Then, in the fullness of the Father’s will, Lazarus was raised from the dead for all to see, and He was glorified.
Do we pray for our will to be done without consideration for God’s will, or do we ask God to consider our heart’s desire as He tells us of His will? Our Father wants to give us our heart’s desire, and if it isn’t contrary to His will then that is what will happen. The problem comes when we lose trust in the fact that God hears us, and that His will is ultimately working for our good. We become so determined in our own will that our intransigence makes us unable to hear God’s voice in the matter, or removes us from participating in His will altogether.
How do we pray? Do we believe in Jesus and know that He is in us and that we are in Him, or do we just know who He is? Until we can wait two days before going to Lazarus; until we can weep at the death of our will and in our sorrow accept God’s. Then we really don’t believe... do we?
This leads us to the second part of our opening scripture, the part where we are taught that we can perform greater miracles than Jesus! What does this really mean? If Jesus raised one man from the dead will we be able to raise two? If Jesus returned the sight of one blind man will we be able to return the sight of many? The key to this isn’t in what we will do, but what God, “he”, will do. Read the scripture again and pay close attention to Jesus’ words... “greater works than these will he do”.
If Jesus is in God and God is in Jesus, and if we are in Jesus and Jesus in us, then God will continue to work His miracles and will through us today. This verse isn’t saying that we will be greater than Jesus, it is a promise that as Jesus goes to be with God He takes us spirituality, and in our faith, with Him. This is the promise we have that God’s work and will continues on through us! God has greater things planned for us... not greater than Jesus... greater than what He Himself has previously shown us. We serve a living God and He is active in us today... can we hear him? Can we feel Him? Can we accept His will when we are in prayer? Can we live and obey His will without wavering? If we can then there will be no disappointment in us regarding the miracles God will perform through us, and some of what He asks us to do might even be greater than those things He asked of Jesus… not because we are greater than Jesus, but because God’s will at that moment desires more of us than what was asked of Christ. Are we praying in, and for, God’s will to be done when we go to Him in our own places of prayer; in our own places like Gethsemane?
Prayer:
Father I thank you for your good and perfect will. Thank you for revealing your will to me as I come to you in prayer, and thank you for my belief that it is ultimately providing goodness, and what is best for me and others. Holy Father, I am limited in my vision, but you know the beginning from the end. I can see only as far as you allow me to safely see, but you Father see every twist and turn of the road that lies before me. I trust in your will Lord, and ask that you strengthen me in my resolve to live within it. When your will is not mine, may your will always supersede my own, and may I go willingly and joyfully into it. Help me Father to not only accept your will, but to be at peace in it. Help me to be quietly resolved and determined to stand before the Pontius Pilots in my life and live out your will without fear; comforted and cradled in your peace. Give me the faith to truly believe in Jesus Christ, and in so doing allow me to join Him in You. Praised be your name Father, and I pray that your will, not mine, be done.
Rich Forbes