Author Archives: reveds

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About reveds

Occupation: Pastor, Ebenezer Presbyterian Church, Lennox, SD Education: BS - Christian Education, Sterling College; MDiv. - Princeton Theological Seminary Family: Married, with Four children. Hobbies: Running (will someday run a marathon), Sci-Fi (especially Doctor Who and Sherlock), Theater, and anything else my kids will let me do.

Asking Great Things of God

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This morning I was struck by a line from one of the prayers in *The Valley of Vision*: *“I ask great things of a great God.”*

It made me pause and wonder: How often do I ask little of God because, deep down, I think little of Him?

We might not say it aloud, but our prayers often reveal a very small view of God. We pray for manageable things, things we think He can handle. We hedge our hopes so we won’t be disappointed. We settle for small requests because it feels safer.

Sometimes our prayers sound more like a grocery list than a kingdom plea: “Lord, help me get through today.” Or the ever-popular: “Lord, help me find a decent parking spot.” Nothing wrong with those requests—but if our prayers stop there, we’ve reduced God to the chaplain of our convenience rather than the King of glory.

But Scripture presses us to ask boldly of a God who delights to do more than we imagine.

The Arrows of Joash

One story that came to mind is in 2 Kings 13. The prophet Elisha told King Joash to take arrows and strike the ground. Joash struck three times and then stopped. Elisha grew angry and said that if he had struck more, the Lord would have given complete victory over his enemies. Because he stopped short, the victory would be limited.

Joash’s problem wasn’t a lack of arrows. His problem was a lack of expectation. He acted as though God’s power had limits, as though three half-hearted strikes would be enough.

I wonder how often I do the same.

Salvation Belongs to the Lord

My recent readings have reminded me again and again that salvation is entirely God’s work:

  • “Today the Lord has worked salvation in Israel.” (1 Sam. 11:13)
  • “So then He has mercy on whomever He wills, and He hardens whomever He wills.” (Rom. 9:18)
  • “For the Lord will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake.” (1 Sam. 12:22)
  • “For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness.” (Ps. 26:3)

God saves, God keeps, God preserves—not because of our strength or our prayers, but because of His mercy and His glory.

Since that’s true, why should I be content to ask so little of Him? Why not pray for revival in a hard heart? Why not ask for the salvation of an entire household? Why not pray for the growth of His church, the perseverance of the saints, the advance of the gospel to the ends of the earth?

Praying in Proportion to His Greatness

The point is not that God is a genie who grants wishes if we just ask big enough. No—He is the sovereign Lord, who works all things according to His will. But the very fact that He is sovereign, merciful, and faithful ought to enlarge our prayers.

  • Since salvation belongs to the Lord, our prayers can be bold.
  • Since His steadfast love never fails, our petitions should never shrink.
  • Since He is a great God, we must ask Him for great things—not for our name’s sake, but for His.

So maybe today, instead of tapping the ground timidly three times, pick up the arrows of prayer and strike boldly. Ask God to do what only God can do.

Because He is a great God.
And great things are what He loves to give.

After the Storm

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A storm tore through Lennox this week—fierce winds up to 80 mph, trees uprooted, branches scattered like matchsticks, power lines down, and debris everywhere. It was the kind of storm that shakes you. Not just the windows, but your sense of calm, your plans for the day, maybe even your confidence in how secure things really are.

But something beautiful followed: neighbors with chainsaws, strangers with trailers, folks hauling branches who hadn’t even finished clearing their own yards yet. In moments like these, you remember just how much strength there is in a community that cares for one another.

It also reminded me of Elijah.

You probably know the story—how Elijah, worn out and afraid, hid in a cave on Mount Horeb, waiting to hear from God. A mighty wind tore through the mountains, then an earthquake, and then a fire. But God was not in any of those. Instead, Elijah heard the voice of the Lord in a still small whisper.

It’s a powerful image: the God of all creation not needing to shout over the storm, but speaking gently, personally, quietly.

And yet here’s what we must remember—God doesn’t whisper anymore.

That’s not to say He’s silent. Far from it. God has spoken—and with perfect clarity. As the author of Hebrews tells us, “In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son” (Heb. 1:2). He speaks today through His Word, which is sufficient to teach us what we are to believe concerning God and what duty God requires of us. Scripture reveals His will and His ways, not in shadows or signs, but in the fullness of truth centered on Jesus Christ.

We need not wait for another word or chase after whispers and signs, because God has already spoken everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). To look beyond His Word is not an act of greater faith, but of forgetfulness—forgetting that every promise of God is “Yes” and “Amen” in Christ (2 Cor. 1:20).

As Beautiful Eulogy put it in their songs “Symbols and Signs:”

“Silly us, ignore the plain, we prefer a riddle
Dying to see a miracle while holding God’s diary looking for signs“

Or as the old hymn puts it:

“What more can He say than to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?”

We don’t need to chase storms or search caves to hear from God. He has already spoken in His Son. We just need to listen—to His Word, to His gospel, to the truth that still speaks louder than any storm.

SDG