There are two passages assigned for today!

SCRIPTURE: Psalm 60
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
Oh, please help us against our enemies, for all human help is useless. With God’s help we will do mighty things, for he will trample down our foes. [Psalms 60:11-12]
If God is with us, nothing can stop us; if God is not with us, nothing we do will succeed.
David clings to God’s promise that He will love and support His people, and help them succeed and prosper.
But he also knows that God cannot bless His people if they do not love and obey Him, if they live godless and immoral lives.
We need to understand that our only hope in this world is to live in, with and for God.
Without Him, we will fail; but with Him, great and mighty things will result!

I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! [John 14:11-14]
Jesus echoes David’s prayer; with His help – the the help of the Father – we will be able to do great things, mighty things, even greater than the things that they saw Jesus do!
First of all, this is a reminder to me that I need to lean on, cling to, and stay close to God and to Jesus, if I want to succeed in whatever I do.
To “believe in Jesus” is not just to have an intellectual belief, but it involves a relationship of love and trust and dependence.
I need to trust in the Lord with all of my heart, and not lean on my own understanding; I need to acknowledge Him in all my ways, and He will make my paths straight [Proverbs 3:5-6].

But secondly, Jesus speaks of “greater works” – what could be greater than the works of Jesus?
His teaching was great, His miraculous powers were great, His wisdom was great, His patience and mercy were great – actually, all these were not just great, they were phenomenal!!!
I will be honest, I am not sure what could be greater than the works Jesus accomplished while on earth.
*** Just a note, this verse is often quoted by modern day miracle workers, and yet rarely do I see works greater than Jesus did; most of the miracles are invisible, trivial and often debatable, compared to raising the dead, giving sight to the blind, multiplying bread and fish, walking on water.

I personally see the miracles of Jesus as icing on the cake – the sweetness but not the substance (its usually what people want, but not what they need).
When Jesus forgave the paralytic, He indicates that forgiving sins is “harder” than healing a paralytic.
Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” [Matthew 9:5-6]
The sense is that the greater work here is restoring someone to God (forgiveness), while the miracle just confirms that greater work.
Paul talks about amazing works like speaking in unknown languages, the ability to prophecy, a deep understanding of the ways of God, a faith that can move mountains, amazing generosity and self-sacrifice for others [1 Corinthians 13:1-3] – but then puts those signs beneath the greatest work of all: love.
But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way… [1 Corinthians 12:31].

I suspect that the greatest miracle of all – the greatest gift – is when God takes a selfish, greedy and inward person and transforms them into a humble, God and people loving person.
This is the substance of what our world really needs; this is the greatest miracle of all!
God is taking on the world powers, but He is not doing it with worldly power.
He is defeating the powers of sin, death and hell through the lives of transformed sinners.
He is ready to help us in this way; if this is what we are aiming for, He will give us whatever we ask in His Name.
But we cannot experience this greater miracle apart from Him.
We need to daily lean on, cling to and stay close to Him; as we do, He will transform us from the inside out and impact the world in ways we cannot imagine.
A life surrendered to Him in this way will be phenomenal too, because of what He will do through them!

PRAYER:
Lord, more than anything I want to love You and to love people. This is so huge, so impossible for me, a miracle beyond my reach. But with Your help I can change. Change my heart Lord, and use me to impact the world with Your love!