Exceedingly More

​Just a few weeks ago I had a moment of holy revelation while entering harvest data at work. As I was busying myself, I heard, subtly in my spirit, the Lord say, “It’s time to pick that devotional book back up.”
 
All at once, I burst into tears, because I was so grateful to hear that familiar voice, and into laughter, because I knew exactly which devotional book He meant.
 
That particular morning I’d cried out to the Lord in anguish over the pit of unexplained emotions I’d found myself trying, in vain, to climb out of over the past few months. Anger. Fear. Resentment. Distrust. Negativity. And, honestly, toxicity, dampening pretty much every room I walked into - all the icky stuff.

​And, of course, this particular book addressed the root of the ick. I read and studied and prayed, devouring His Word and this anointed teaching, all the while feeling myself being drawn back into that secret place. The place where Jesus meets us so often, reigniting the doused flame and reaffirming our path to victory over our battle at hand.
 
I regained my joy, my peace, and my general sense of self, but I gained it in GREATER abundance. My laugh was genuine, my smile was a constant, my peace was wonderfully infectious, and my desire to be a living, breathing example of our Deliverer burned hotter than ever before.
 
I cried out for deliverance and He gave me more - He gave me the best version of myself, the version of myself that exists only in Him.
 
So, regardless of the current placement, timing, or general circumstances, He always answers, and does so with grandeur - doing, being, and giving the petitions of our hearts, but doing so exceedingly and abundantly above any perceivable possibilities.
 
Always doing it in a way that only He can, for HIS glory.
 
In Judges 6 and 7, the Israelites had once more done evil in the sight of the Lord and were given into the hands of the Midianites, living impoverished and ransacked, to the point where they could only cry out to the Lord for help.
 
While Gideon was threshing wheat, his daily work, the Angel of the Lord approached him with an answer to the Israelites’ cries - an answer that I’m certain was exceedingly above what Gideon, or any of the Israelites, had envisioned.
 
The Angel, anointing him with the power and might of God, relayed to him the charge from the Lord to lead the Israelites in battle to defeat their oppressors.
 
But, he could only do it with 300 men.
300 men against the vast Midianite army.
 
Almost laughable odds.
 
But friends, how many times has the Lord defied all the odds, answered your cries, or delivered to you the very desires of your heart in a way that only He could, with and by the means that only He can provide? How many times has He done MORE than what we ask?
 
With only 300 men, the Midianites were defeated. With old age, new life was created (Genesis 15). In the wake of a mighty sea, waters were parted (Ex. 14:21). With faith the size of a mustard seed, mountains move (Luke 17:6).
 
And with a single desperate plea, in an ordinary moment, He delivered me.
 
So, friends, do not grow weary in presenting your hearts before the Lord. Do not grow weary in listening for and heeding the answers He gives. Persevere in faith, with wholly expectation, because when He does answer, He’ll do it in the way that only He can— giving, doing, and being exceedingly more than we can begin to imagine.
 

Memory Verse: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV

About the Author

Hi Friends! I’m Faith, wife of five years to my wonderful husband, Ryan, and mama to the most precious earthly gift, our sweet 6 month old, Matthew. His little life will forever be a testament to God’s Faithfulness as he was the answer to many, many prayers after we lost our first little one in 2017. We live in a tiny little town in South Georgia called Sparks and I work as a Research & Development Technician within a breeding program for a seed company in a neighboring city. I enjoy my career but my heart and soul longs for the written word, specifically God’s Word. I’m passionate about writing and am ecstatic to be able to channel that passion into making known His Will here on earth - to be His vessel so others will know Him, His heart for us, and how wonderful a life lived for Him will always undoubtedly be.
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