God’s nature is often a mystery. He is compassionate and tender and yet shows His power and might through everything He does. There is one aspect of His character that always seems to shine through in the Bible. God is capable. When you look up capable in the dictionary you will find a definition stating; having power and ability. I believe this is the truest essence of who God is – He is all power and all ability.

So why is it so easy to doubt God and why do we question His power and ability? Perhaps because just as being capable is a part of God’s nature, doubt and unbelief are a part of ours and we feel compelled to test God to see His capabilities overcome our failings. If you look through the Bible you will see wonderful examples of men and women who doubted that God was capable of taking care of their every need, wish, desire or request. David doubted God’s power and feigned being insane. Sarah doubted God was capable of giving her a child and helped to create a nation that would always be at odds with God’s people. Thomas doubted that Jesus was capable of rising from the dead after he had been told in person what would happen after the crucifixion. My favorite picture of God showing just how capable He is in the midst of unbelievable circumstances happens in the life of Moses and the people of Israel.

Think about the story of Moses. Here is a guy who God appears to in a burning bush (Exodus 3) and Moses’ first reaction is to say to him “Who? Me?” As if God was not capable of taking a sheep herder who had once lived with the family of the Pharaoh and helping him to speak and persuade the Pharaoh to let God’s people go.  After all He had saved Moses from dying as a child, He allowed him to escape Egypt after committing murder, He had led him to a family in the desert who took him in and gave him wise council. Is this not a perfect picture of how blind we are to God’s capabilities because of our nature of distrust?  Moses continued to doubt and God had to prove to him over and over again His power and abilities. Then Moses finally trusts God and seeks out the Pharaoh.  Moses has overcome his doubt at least for the moment.  Then he is leading the people of Israel out of Egypt and lo and behold they become the doubters.

Then they said to Moses; “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us this way, bringing us out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians?’ For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

Exodus 14:11-12

God once again shows how capable He is in the face of great doubt. Moses tells the people “the Lord will fight for you while you are silent.” (Ex. 14:14) While the people of Israel are in the middle of their doubt, Moses asks them to be quiet and trust. God in the meantime is preparing His plan by hardening the hearts of the Egyptians and making them blind to the trouble in front of them. Moses leads his people into the Red Sea where it parts for their passing through God’s power and ability and then closes the Sea behind them to get rid of their enemies.

Hindsight is always 20/20. Seeing God’s capabilities versus man’s shortcomings is easy when we read about it or hear it in a sermon. How does this play out in our real life. We have to trust that our God is a capable God. One who has the power and ability to do His will. The key is to remember that just because He has the capabilities to do amazing miracles and works does not mean that He always will. Sometimes we need to learn the greater lessons that come from suffering and struggling. This is how God builds us up for greatness and helps us become a greater testimony for His love and grace in the world. He is teaching us to learn that while we are not capable we have a “God who is capable of doing immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.” (Ephesians 3:20)