BUT HE CAN'T LIFT A CAR; NO ONE CAN DO THAT

BUT HE CAN’T LIFT A CAR; NO ONE CAN DO THAT

Mark 9:24 Immediately, the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord I believe; help my unbelief.”

4 year-old Caleb and Grandma were sharing an early morning conversation and making exciting plans for the day.  I assured him that Grandpa would carry the toy downstairs as soon as he got out of bed. Of course he wasn’t satisfied and wanted to know why I didn’t just bring it down.  I explained that Grandpa was much stronger than Grandma, so we would have to wait.  Caleb, boastfully, replied, “My Daddy is very, very, very, very strong.  But he can’t lift a car; no one can do that.”

Do you remember a time when your Dad could do anything?  I do!  There was no one as strong or as smart as my Dad.  He could fix anything that was broken, accomplish the impossible and had the answer to every situation that we faced.  I don’t remember when it happened but one day I broke a toy that couldn’t be fixed, a situation arose that even Dad didn’t know what to say, and then his body became so weak that most tasks became impossible.  I wanted my strong, smart, capable, Hero-Dad back and the reality made me sad.

Do you remember a time when you believed God could do anything?  There was nothing broken that He couldn’t fix, through the power of the Holy Spirit, the impossible could be accomplished and there was no storm that He wouldn’t see you through.  I don’t remember when it happened but one morning I found myself thinking, “God you are very, very, very, very great.  You can do anything, but not that; no one can do that!”  Then it hit me, God really COULDN’T do that in my life because I didn’t believe that He could or would. 

Just as Caleb had voiced his thoughts regarding his daddy, I believed God was very great BUT there had to be some limitations.  The only place I could go was to my knees.  As the man in Mark 9:24, I cried, “Lord I believe; help my unbelief!”

 It’s true; sometimes a Dad can’t lift the car, but GOD CAN!  Lives become so broken until even a Dad can’t fix them, but GOD CAN!  Dads grow weak, run out of answers and situations become impossible, but not to God; HE CAN!!! 

Whatever you are facing today; the broken can become whole, the unanswerable can be solved and the impossible accomplished because…

“MY GOD IS VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY STRONG AND HE CAN LIFT A CAR;

HE CAN EVEN DO THAT!”

IT MATTERS THAT YOU'RE THERE

Mark 9:41 For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My Name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.

  

“It doesn’t matter what you say, it matters that you’re there.”(Commissioner Frank Reagan, Blue Bloods)

These words sunk into my heart as I watched an episode from one of my favorite dramatic series.  We’ve all been in situations where we just didn’t know what to say.  They are always difficult situations involving death, hurt or loss of some kind and we struggle to give comfort and encouragement with our words.

We have devised platitudes and clichés just to have something to say.  Please believe me when I say, “God needed another angel,” or “Heaven needed them more than earth,” or “at least they are not suffering anymore,” or “they are in a better place,” really does not give comfort and may actually add to their grief and anger.

When my Dad passed away, I heard all the “canned” phrases and I understood that people were just trying to give comfort when no comfort could be found, but one friend’s words or “non-words” have stuck with me for17 years.

We had come back home to Saginaw, there was no family surrounding me and the grief was overwhelming.  I couldn’t bring myself to go to church that Sunday evening and my friend Sophie asked if she could come and sit with me.  She walked in the door, gave me a hug, a beautiful plant and said, simply, “Tell me about your dad,” then listened to me and cried with me.  IT MATTERED THAT SHE WAS THERE!

Someone in your world NEEDS YOU TO BE THERE!

A quote, attributed to Francis of Assisi, although not verified is “Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.”  What a beautiful portrayal of a Christian’s daily life, at least ideally.  Unfortunately, we have found that it is easier to “use words” than it is to “be there.”

BEING THERE is BEING HIS HANDS AND FEET but BEING THERE TAKES EFFORT!

As you go to church this morning, carry that commission with you.  As you pray with someone this morning, you are BEING THERE!  As you shake hands or give someone a smile and a hug, you are BEING THERE!  When you ask that visitor to sit with you or share your Bible, you are BEING THERE!

Don’t worry about the words; they may not even be necessary if you WILL JUST BE THERE!