Yes, I Know God Can Do It... But Will He Do It For Me?

Welcome to Purpose of Heart, the podcast, where real stories meet God's promises. I'm Priscilla Allman, and every week we dive into powerful conversations about purpose and the pressure through caregiving, illness, grief, addiction, and more. If you've ever asked God, where are you in this? You're in the right place. Be sure to follow the show. And let's find purpose together. Hello again, and welcome to Purpose of Heart, the podcast. I'm your host, Priscilla Allman, and today we're going to be talking about a subject that maybe some of us don't want to admit to ourselves. Have you ever sat quietly with a promise of God in your heart and whispered, I know you can do it, but will you do it for me? You've seen him move for others. You've heard the testimonies, you've read the miracles, you believe he's able. You started praying with your friend about it at the exact same time, and they've moved forward, and you're still in the same space. When it comes to your situation, your marriage, your healing, your child, your finances, your calling, there's this quiet question that lingers. Am I the exception? Did I hear wrong? Today we're talking about that tension, the space between believing God is powerful and believing he's personally faithful to you. Most of us don't struggle with God's ability, right? We struggle with his willingness towards us. The leper in scripture wrestled with this same question. In Matthew 8.2, it says, And behold, a leper came and worshiped, saying, Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean. Notice what he said, not if you are able, but if you are willing. He already believed Jesus could heal him. What he questioned was whether Jesus would choose to. And Jesus answered him in the most direct way possible. In verse 3 it says, Then Jesus put out his hand and touched him, saying, I am willing be cleansed. I am willing. Not reluctant, not hesitant, not irritated, willing. And some of us need to hear that again today, not just about a miracle, but about God's posture towards us. He's not distant from your need. He's not annoyed by your prayers. And he's not blessing everyone but you. Now let's be honest. Sometimes the reason we question if he'll do it for us is because we've been waiting and waiting and waiting. And waiting can distort perception. In Psalm 13, one, David cries out, How long, O Lord, will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? David. A man after God's own heart felt forgotten. Have you ever prayed like this? Lord, how long? How long until the shifts? How long until the breakthrough? How long until you answer? Delay can make you feel unseen, unchosen, and overlooked. But delay is not denial. Scripture tells us in Isaiah 55, verses 8 and 9. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Sometimes God's not yet is protection. Sometimes it's preparation. Sometimes it's positioning. But it's never indifference. Comparison quietly fuels doubt, right? Because there's this lie of it works for them, but not for me. You see someone else healed, someone else married, someone else promoted, someone else restored. And you think maybe they qualify in a way that I don't. But God does not have favorites, he has children. Romans 2.11 says, For there is no partiality with God. That means he's not measuring your worthiness by or against someone else's highlight reel. We sometimes assume the blessing skipped us because of our flaws, our past mistakes, or our current struggles. But listen to what Scripture says in Romans 8 22. He who did not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? If he already gave us the greatest gift, his son, why would he withhold what aligns with his will for your life? The cross settled the question of whether you are loved. Resurrection settled the question of whether he has power. The only thing left is trust. It's easy to believe that God heals. It's harder to believe God heals me. It's easy to declare God restores. It's harder to believe God restores my situation. But Scripture is deeply personal. Psalm twenty three, one, the Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. Not just a shepherd, my shepherd. Faith becomes transformative when it shifts from abstract to personal. In Mark five, the woman with the issue of blood had heard about Jesus. Many people were around him and touching him in the crowd. But verse 28 says, For she said, If only I may touch his clothes, I shall be made well. She didn't say someone could be healed. She said, I shall be made well. That's personal faith. And Jesus responded to that faith. Sometimes when we ask, Will he do it for me? What we're really wrestling with is, can I trust him with the outcome? Because what if he answers differently than what I expect? Proverbs 3, 5 and 6 reminds us to trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways. Acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths. Trust is not certainty about the outcome. Trust is confidence in his character. You may not know how he will move. But you can know who he is. And Hebrews 11:6 says, But without faith it is impossible to please him, for he who comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. Notice that a rewarder. Not perfectly qualified people, not people who never doubted, but those who continue to come. Maybe the question isn't, will he do it for me? Maybe the deeper question is, do I trust that whatever he does will be good for me? Because Romans 8.28 says, and we know that all things work together for good, to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose, all things. Even the waiting, even the silence, even the redirection. God's goodness isn't proven only by immediate miracles, it's revealed through sustained faithfulness. If you've been quietly wondering, Lord, I know you can, but will you? Hear this. He sees you. He knows your name. He understands your fear, and he is not withholding himself from you. The same God who parted the seas, who raised the dead, who restored the broken, is intimately aware of your situation. Your story is not forgotten. Your prayers are not wasted, your faith is not unnoticed. And when doubt whispers, maybe not you, answer it with truth. He is my shepherd. He is no respecter of persons, he is a rewarder of those who seek him, he works all things together for good. You don't have to have every answer. You just have to keep coming to him. The one who is able is also faithful. Until next time, friends, I'll see you soon. Thanks for listening to Purpose of Heart the Podcast at www.purpose of heartpodcast.com. Make sure you hit that subscribe button so you never miss an episode. There's so much more God is doing, and I don't want you to miss a thing. Thank you in advance for the reviews and shares. They help this message reach more hearts. I can't wait to walk with you again in next week's episode. See you there.