a lie about ability

"She said to Him, 'Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water?' " John 4:11. Today I'm looking at a common deception we all at times fall prey to. We underestimate God's ability and overestimate our own. Jesus makes an offer in verse 10, which we will look at later, but the woman's response calls into question His ability to produce. In effect, what she says to Jesus is, "Look, I'm the one with the pot here. You don't even have anything to hold water in. Let me help you." As though she had some ability to help Him. How often do I have a similar response? God's word is true. I can completely trust Him to do what He says. And yet there are times when I don't respond with faith, and by that lack of trust, I believe the lie that He cannot or will not do what He says. On the other side of the coin, it is not uncommon for me, like the woman, to come to God offering my assistance. How brash is that? "Here God, let me help You with this, since You seem to be lacking the resources. I've got what it takes." Oh, I would never be so bold as to actually say that to God, but by my actions I may be sending that message. I put confidence in my own ability to handle a situation rather than showing a willingness to trust Him and wait for His timing in the accomplishment.

Who do I trust more? That's what God's been asking me. "John, do you need me? Or are you good enough, able to do what needs to be done without my help?" How I long to reach that place of utter dependence on God. I want to live in the reality of Jesus words, "apart from Me you can do nothing."