All Things Are Possible

"All things are possible," said the lady on Larry King Live. She echoed my thoughts exactly and, I'm sure, the thoughts of many on this historic Saturday leading up to the inaguration of America's first African American president. I am completely blown away by everything that's happening.

Barack Obama electrified the country and the world during the campaign, and he is doing it again with this inaguration. The whistle stop train ride is something that will definitely grace the pages of the history books. The crowds, the festivities and the speeches are all befitting this momentous occasion, but greater than that is the mood of the people. It is one of excitement, hope and expectancy that a new day is indeed dawning in our nation. A new day that goes beyond hopes of change in our economic situation or our image in the world, but a change in the way we see ourselves and each other.

Already we are seeing the spirit of unity preached by Obama sweep through the nation. We see it in the faces of whites, blacks, Asians, Hispanics, Democrats and Republicans, old and young. We see people coming together as never before to begin the work of rebuilding and reshaping this great nation. As the outgoing president said, "The Obama presidency represents hope for the country." I believe that what we are seeing today would not have been possible without God's intervention. So allow me to make a minor change to the lady's words. "With God, all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26).

Change

I recently came across a joke about three men who were in a strange city and had no money to pay for their meals. They came up with a creative plan which went like this: The first man entered an upscale restaurant and ordered a very expensive meal. When the meal was over, the waiter handed the check to the man who looked astonished and said, "But I already paid you." The waiter looked puzzled, but not wishing to offend the customer, apologized and took back the check.

The second man came in and the same situation occurred. Not long after, the third man walked in, ordered the most expensive items on the menu and enjoyed his meal. When the waiter brought the check, the man looked angry and said, "What's wrong with you, man? I already paid you." This time the waiter was determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. He turned to his customer and said, "Sir, I don't understand what is happening. I served two other men today who said they paid me but I'm almost certain they didn't. What do you think I should do?" The customer looked at the waiter and said, "I'm sorry you've been having trouble sorting out your payments, but will you please give me my change?"

Change. The word is on everybody's lips these days, especially since the stunning victory by Barack Obama, who stirred up the hearts of the people with his mantra of change. But what does change mean? Many of us, myself included, are still putting the finishing touches to our New Year's resolutions in an effort to change our lives for the better. But in most cases, very little change will take place this year or even the next.

In the Bible we see many instances where God made changes in the lives of His people. He told Abraham to leave his hometown, Haran, and go to the land of Canaan. He caused Joseph to be sold into slavery so he could end up in Egypt and become the Prime Minister of that country. God never allowed His people to lead static, boring lives. He changed their names, addresses and ultimately their destinies.

Why, then, are we so resistant to change? Maybe it's our love for the familiar or fear of the unknown. Whatever it is, change can be scary. But in this new year, this new era, let us look to the One "who changeth not" (Malachi 3:6), the unchanging God, to help us make those changes that are necessary and resist those that may cause us trouble. Happy New Year!

How do you call?

An interesting part in the account of the creation is where God took the animals to Adam for him to name them. The Bible continues, "... and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof" (Genesis 2:19). God, the Creator, who created Adam and everything else, simply left the naming of the animals to Adam. He made no objections to Adam's choice of names. When Adam called the lion a lion, God left it at that, and likewise when Adam called the mouse a mouse, God nodded His agreement.

What do you think would have happened if God had said, "No, that little thing shall be called a lion and that big thing shall be called a mouse." Then we would be calling those little rodents that scare us to death, lions, and the king of the jungle would go by the name mouse. Those names would have completely different definitions from what they now have. I can see some guys flexing their muscles and saying, "I am a mouse."

In the Bible we find that God puts great store by names. Abram means exalted father, but when God got ready to bless him, He changed his name to Abraham. "Neither shall thy name anymore be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of nations have I made thee" (Genesis 17:5).

Later, God changed the name of Abraham's wife, as she, too, was part of the new covenant He had made with Abraham. "And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be" (17:15).

God did the same thing to Abraham's grandson, Jacob. "... Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed" (32:28).

God's naming is not limited to a mere name change, but a change in character. He called Gideon "mighty man of valour" (Judges 6:12), Mary is saluted as "highly favoured and blessed among women", and He called His Son Emmanuel, meaning "God with us" (Matthew 1:23).

Notice that with all these name changes came a transformation in status, function and blessing. Abraham was changed from a childless man to the father of nations, Sarah from a barren woman to the mother of Isaac, the son of promise. Jacob changed from a trickster to Israel, father of the Israelites, God's chosen people. And we can go on and on.

But the message is clear. Instead of calling ourselves broke, depressed, oppressed and discouraged, we need to call ourselves the way God calls us - blessed, made in His image and likeness, "a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people" (1 Peter 2:9). If we do that we will never be defeated by the enemy.