Rich and Generous

“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children,

how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”

– Matthew 7:11

My pastor used an illustration two weeks ago that helped me understand how big God is and how much He cares for me. A man once came to Napoleon asking to borrow a large sum of money. After Napoleon lent it to him, a colleague asked Napoleon, “Didn’t that man shame you by asking for so much money?” “No,” replied Napoleon. “It is an honor because it shows he believes I am rich and he believes I am generous.” In Pilgrim’s Progress, the guide, Greatheart, tells one of the travelers that the Lord gives in answer to the prayer of faith that which He would not otherwise bestow. A friend in the dorm recently challenged me to pray for big things from God. After all, didn’t William Carey say that he asked great things from a great God? How our prayers and God’s sovereignty work together is something that only God knows, but He chooses to use our prayers to fulfill His will.

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,

and comes down from the Father of lights.” – James 1:17

So, am I praying for things that are too small? Do I desire something big but am too afraid to pray for it because I am afraid that God might not do it? And saddest of all, is my faith in God so weak that His not granting my request would shake my trust in Him? Oh, ye of little faith. My God is not that small. My God is rich and He is generous.

“For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory:

no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. – Psalm 84:11