How Big is your God?      

Recently, hurricanes, excessive flooding, earthquakes, fires and this week a massacre in Las Vegas have drawn our attention to the many people who have been victims of these catastrophes. It’s a time to remember the many victims in our prayers. As our country is facing many difficult issues, it is easy to get discouraged, especially when we thinking of the world our grandchildren are living. However, we have a big God bigger than the challenges and struggles we experience at this time and our grandchildren’s future. In the Bible, we have an excellent example of how Joshua and Caleb handled their challenges.

Moses sent Joshua, Caleb, and the ten other men on a scouting exploration to Canaan, as spies to the Promised Land. After exploring the land for forty days, the men returned to Moses to give their reports. Ten of the spies said that it was a magnificent area but the people are mighty and their cities are fortified and very large. The people are giants, much stronger than we are, we would not be able to attack them.

Joshua and Caleb reported to Moses that the land was good, but the people were giants. However, God would lead them. They had nothing to fear because their God was bigger than their obstacles. How do you see God? Do you see God big enough to meet your challenges, disappointments, and struggles?  

God often allows challenging situations in our lives for a purpose, teaching us to depend more on Him. Although trials and problems are inevitable, they can be our friends. Pray your grandchildren will learn to expect them, submit to them, and learn from them. The challenges and struggles they face are not meant to destroy them. They are designed to promote spiritual growth, develop character, and make them capable of fulfilling their God-given assignments. Our adversities may be blessings in disguise.

God sometimes wants to demonstrate to us truth about Himself. Only through trials do we move from academic faith to practical faith. As grandparents, we can pray our grandchildren will see their challenges as exercises designed to make them become stronger spiritually and mature in their character.

Pray that your grandchildren will see God as a great, big, strong God they can trust at all times, in all circumstances like Joshua and Caleb.

 Pray they will pray and trust God in their disappointments and anxieties.

Taken from Numbers 13

By Lillian Penner, Co-director of the prayer ministry of Christian Grandparenting Network, lpenner@christiangrandparenting.net