Could Not God Do the Same for Me?
April 17, 2024 · 1:21:04 · Watch on YouTube ↗
Summary
The evening opens with Psalm 103:13 - as a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him - and turns to a question that quietly haunts many believers: if God blessed, healed, or rescued someone else, could He not do the same for me? Walking through Joseph interpreting the two prisoners' dreams in Genesis 40 and the crowd at Lazarus' tomb in John 11, the preacher shows how naturally we generalize God, assuming that because He acted one way for one person He owes the same to everyone.
Hebrews 11 shatters that assumption. The same chapter celebrates those who by faith conquered kingdoms and received their dead raised, and then lists those who were tortured, stoned, sawn in two, and killed by the sword. Same God, same faith, the same will, yet wildly different outcomes. Romans 9 and the image of the Potter and the clay answer the cry for fairness: God shows mercy to whom He wills, and the clay has no right to argue with the Potter.
The call is to stop measuring our lives by other people's blessings and to accept God's individual purpose for us. God can, but He is not obligated. Like Peter, who asked about John, we hear, "What is that to you? Follow Me." The safest and happiest place is the center of God's will, even when it is painful or hard to understand, saying, "I agree with You."
Key Points
- The recurring question "Could not God?" exposes our habit of generalizing God instead of trusting Him.
- Joseph's two prisoners and the crowd at Lazarus' tomb show one God giving very different outcomes.
- Hebrews 11 honors both those who were delivered and those who suffered and died in faith.
- God shows mercy as He wills, and the clay cannot argue with the Potter (Romans 9).
- God is able to act, but He is never obligated to repeat for you what He did for someone else.
- Stop comparing your life to others, for God has a personal purpose for each believer.
- True peace is submitting to God's will and saying "I agree with You," even when it hurts.
Devotional
When you watch God answer someone else's prayer quickly, it is easy to wonder why your own waiting goes on and on. Tonight's word gently reminds you that God is the Potter and you are the clay, that He knows your whole life and has shaped a purpose just for you. He is able to do anything, yet He is never obligated to copy into your story what He wrote in someone else's. Lay down the comparison, look away from the crowd, and pray, "Lord, I agree with You." The center of His will, even when it is hard, is the safest place you will ever stand.
“God can, but He is never obligated.”
“The clay has no right to argue with the Potter.”
“Could God? Yes - but His will for you may be different.”
