(Psa 78:41) Yes, again and again they tempted God, And limited the Holy One of Israel.
Do you limit the Lord? Do you put restraints on what He can and cannot do? Maybe you tell yourself that He can handle the small stuff but when it's the "Big Kahuna" then no way. How can we believe the Lord for great things without succumbing to doubt and limiting the Lord because of our lack of faith?
I think the problem lies in the origin of our unbelief. Something big happens in our life and instead of seeing God as bigger than the problem we bring Him down our level. We project onto Him the inadequacy we feel. And in so doing we exalt the problem as god. We get things so backwards and twisted around. See what doubt does? It distorts reality. No wonder the Bible says to "magnify the Lord" (Psa 34:3). That means to focus on His greatness. When we do that then our problem shrinks to pocketsize.
Psalm 78 rehearses the history of Israel and focuses on Israel's unbelief in the wilderness. God took care of them but then they doubted. They failed to trust in the Lord and they started complaining. God wanted to do so much more for them but they limited His blessings. This reminds me of when Jesus came to His hometown Nazareth. As He taught in the synagogue they doubted His divine origin because He had grown up there. This sad statement follows: (Mat 13:58) Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. God wants to work in our lives far more than what we are allowing Him.
But there's another reason why we limit the Lord. It's the sin we harbor in our lives. Remember David? God had promised him so many blessings. The Lord would bless him immensely and he would always have a son to sit on the throne. (2 Sam 7) But because of his sin with Bathsheba he limited God's blessings. Here's what God said to David through the prophet Nathan:
(2 Sam 12:7-9) . . . ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more! Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon.
We also limit the Lord because we don't feel worthy of His blessings. But remember we are under grace and not the merit system! (Mat 7:11) If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! God wants to give us so much more. Can you believe that? Let's trust Him today for the blessings that await us ahead.
Louie