âNow to Him who is able to do
Immeasurably more
Than all we ask or imagineâ
â Ephesians 3:20
âAan Hom wat deur sy krag wat in ons werk,
magtig is om oneindig meer te doen
as wat ons bid of dink,
â EfesiĂ«rs 3:20
More than we can imagine? Wow, now thatâs difficult to wrap our minds around, isnât it? Who of us hasnât had wild and incredible images of us being radically blessed? Until, of course, someone comes along to burst our bubble with words about ârealityâ that cause us to come back down to earth.
Meer as wat ons kan dink? Wow, nou dit is moeilik om ons verstand daarom toe te vou, is dit nie? Wie van ons het nie wilde en ongelooflike beelde van ons wat radikaal geseĂ«n is? Totdat, natuurlik, iemand kom om ons lugbel te bars met woorde oor ârealiteitâ wat veroorsaak dat ons terugkom aarde toe.
Yet no matter what anyone else says, the Bible says, âI pray that out of his glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledgeâthat you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Tog maak nie saak wat enigiemand sĂȘ nie, die Bybel sĂȘ, âEk bid dat Hy deur sy Gees uit die rykdom van sy heerlikheid aan julle die krag sal gee om innerlik sterk te word, dat Christus deur die geloof in julle harte sal woon en dat julle in die liefde gewortel en gegrondves sal wees. Mag julle in staat wees om saam met al die gelowiges te begryp hoe wyd en ver en hoog en diep die liefde van Christus strek. Mag julle sy liefde ken, liefde wat ons verstand te bowe gaan, en mag julle heeltemal vervul word met die volheid van God.
 âNow to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amenâ (Ephesians 3:16-21 NIV).
âAan Hom wat deur sy krag wat in ons werk, magtig is om oneindig meer te doen as wat ons bid of dink, aan Hom kom die eer toe, in die kerk, deur ons verbondenheid met Christus Jesus, deur al die geslagte heen tot in alle ewigheid. Amenâ (EfesiĂȘrs 3:16-21 Afr 83).
None of us can read the Bible or listen to the testimonies of others and not come away with the fact that God can do anything, and do anything far beyond what we can imagine. Yet, being able to imagine it happening is where faith begins. How do we move our mountains? We have to start by imagining that it can happen!
Niemand van ons kan die Bybel lees of na die getuienisse van ander luister en nie wegkom met die feit dat God enigiets kan doen, en enigiets kan doen ver bo wat ons kan dink. Tog, om in staat te wees om te dink dat dit gebeur is waar geloof begin. Hoe versit ons ons berge? Jy moet begin dink dat dit kan gebeur!
Just the other day I was telling my oldest son, who is soon to marry, that his wife will have pain-free, uncomplicated childbirths when they have children. And I was shocked when he didnât agree; he snickered. How could this young man, my son, who has seen countless miracles happen not readily agree? Well, unfortunately, where his faith is concerned he has also âwitnessedâ most of his siblings being born. Not that I was clearly suffering, and, thankfully, I am not a screamer. Ooops, I just remembered something, something I have to confess. Even though my son didnât see my last baby being born, he most definitely heard some of it.
Net die ander dag het ek my oudste seun, wie binnekort trou, vertel dat sy vrou pynlose, ongekompliseerde geboortes sal hĂȘ wanneer hulle kinders het. Ek was geskok toe hy nie saamgestem het nie; hy het geggigel. Hoe kan hierdie jong man, my seun, wie ontelbare wonderwerke sien gebeur het nie geredelik saamstem nie? Wel, ongelukkig, wat sy geloof betref het hy ook attesteer van meeste van sy broers en susters wat gebore is. Nie dat ek gely het nie, en, dankbaar, is ek nie ân skreeuer nie. Oeps, ek het net iets onthou, iets waaroor ek moet bieg. Alhoewel my seun nie gesien het hoe my laaste baba gebore is nie, het hy definitief sommige van dit gehoor.
My last baby weighed close to 12 pounds; thatâs 5.44 kilograms. So as a last-ditch effort on my part, I decided to scream. Not in pain, but to get my husbandâs attention. Though I am not happy that my children heard me scream from the other room, the fact is, my one loud scream did cause my husband to âcry out to Godâ which led to a supernatural âdidnât push, but GOD pulledâ birth! But the point is this: my son has seen natural childbirth first-hand; therefore, it will take a lot more for him to imagine differently for his wife.
My laaste baba het om en by 12 pond geweeg; dit is 5.44 kilogram. So as ân laaste poging van my kant af, het ek besluit om te skree. Nie in pyn nie maar om my man se aandag te kry. Alhoewel ek nie bly is dat my kinders my gehoor skree het uit die ander kamer nie, die feit is, een laaste skreeu het veroorsaak dat my man âuitgeroep het na God toeâ wat gelei het tot ân bonatuurlike ânie gestoot, maar GOD het getrekâ geboorte! Maar die punt is it: my seun het natuurlike kindergeboorte eerstehands gesien; daarom, sal dit baie meer vir hom neem om iets verskillend vir sy vrou te dink.Â
The next part of our conversation was my sonâs comment about his future children when he said, âOne thing is for sure, our children will be very faired-skinned since both of us are.â Thatâs when I told him to believe that they would have olive skin without the burden of easily burning in the sun. Again, he chuckled. Until I said, âHey, why not? Many of our family has olive skinâ and went on to list them all. His face lit up, because for the first time, he could imagine that this was possible! Fast forward: Not all my grandchildren are fair skinned, but most can be out in the sun and not burn, unlike their parents.
Die volgende deel van ons gesprek was my seun se kommentaar oor sy toekomstige kinders toe hy gesĂȘ het, âEen ding is verseker, ons kinders sal lig van gelaat wees want albei van ons is,â Dit is toe dat ek hom gesĂȘ het om te glo dat hulle olyfkleurige vel sou hĂȘ sonder die las om maklik in die son te brand. Weer, het hy gegiggel. Totdat ek gesĂȘ het, âHey, waarom nie? Baie van ons familie het olyfkleur velle en ek het gegaan en hulle almal opgenoem. Sy gesig het opgehelder, want vir die eerste keer kon hy dink dat dit moontlik kan wees! Vinnig vorentoe: Nie al my kleinkinders is lig van velkleur nie, maar meeste van hulle kan in die son gaan en nie brand nie, anders as hulle ouers.
Imagining, my dear bride, is the beginning of moving a mountain. You must be able to imagine the mountain moved, the unimaginable happening. So, since I never imagined when I was bearing children that having a baby pain-free was even possibleâtherefore, it never happened.
Dink, my liewe bruid, is die begin om ân berg te versit. Jy moet in staat wees om te dink dat die berg versit is, die ondenkbare wat gebeur. So, aangesien ek nooit kon dink toe ek my kinders gebaar het dat om ân baba pynloos te hĂȘ selfs moontlik was nieâdaarom, het dit nooit gebeur nie.
And before I heard about RMI and read about someone else having a restored marriage, I could never have ever imagined that restoring a marriage after adultery and divorce was possible. Thatâs why I would never have believed God for my own restoration, not until I heard her testimony and read about several others. Only then I believed it could happen. Soon after I began going through the book several times and looking up the verses myself, only then was I able to imagine the impossible. Then, I discovered that the next step in moving mountains is sensing something is going to happen.
En voor ek van HMI gehoor het en gelees het oor iemand anders wat ân herstelde huwelik gehad het, kon ek nooit indink dat om ân huwelik na owerspel en egskeiding te hertsel moontlik was nie. Dit is waarom ek nooit in God kon glo vir my eie herstel nie, nie totdat ek haar getuienis gehoor het en oor baie ander gelees het nie. Toe kon ek glo dat dit kon gebeur. Gou na ek verskeie kere deur die boek gegaan het en die verse myself opgesoek het, net toe was ek in staat om die onmoontlike te dink. Toe, het ek ontdek dat die volgende stap om die berge te versit is om aan te voel dat iets gaan gebeur.
Dear bride, letâs make one thing clear from the beginning. If what you need to believe God for is something youâve never heard of, something thatâs never mentioned in this book or in anyone elseâs testimony you hear, then you, dear one, have been given the privilege of being called to be a pioneerâa true trailblazer.
Liewe bruid, kom ons maak een ding duidelik reg van die begin af. As waarvoor jy in God glo iets is waarvan jy nooit gehoor het nie, iets wat nooit in hierdie boek of in enigiemand anders se getuienis genoem is nie, dan het jy, liewe een, die voordeel om geroep te word om ân pionier te wordâân ware baanbreker. Â
Do you realize that God needs people like you who will believe what no one has seen or heard? God is looking for incredible people like you who are willing to build a bridge of faith over the deep ravine of doubt that keeps so many of us from gaining our promises!
Besef jy dat God mense soos jy nodig het wat sal glo wat niemand gesien of gehoor het nie? God soek ongelooflike mense soos jy wie gewillig is om ân brug van geloof oor die diep kloof van twyfel te bou wat so baie van ons weerhou om ons beloftes te kry!
 âNow faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seenâ (Hebrews 11:1).
âOm te glo, is om seker te wees van die dinge wat ons hoop, om oortuig te wees van die dinge wat ons nie sien nieâ (HebreĂ«rs 11:1).
Dear bride, are you a Bridge Builder?
Liewe bruid, is jy ân Brugbouer?
The Bridge Builder
Die Brugbouer
By Will Allen Dromgoole
Deur Will Allen Dromgoole
Â
An old man, going a lone highway,
ân Ou man, wat op ân alleen snelweg gaanâ
Came, at the evening, cold and gray,
Kom, in die aand, koud en grys,
To a chasm, vast, and deep, and wide,
Na ân kloof, uitgestrek, en diep, en wyd
Through which was flowing a sullen tide.
Deur wat gevloei het was ân nors gety
The old man crossed in the twilight dim;
Die ou man het oorgesteek in die dof skemer;
The sullen stream had no fears for him;
Die nors stroom het geen vrees vir hom gehou nie;
But he turned, when safe on the other side,
Maar hy het omgedraai, toe hy veilig was aan die ander kant,
And built a bridge to span the tide.
En ân brug gebou, om die gety te oorbrug
 âOld man,â said a fellow pilgrim, near,
âOu man, â het ân mede pilgram naby, gesĂȘ
 âYou are wasting strength with building here;
âJy mors jou krag om hier te bou;
Your journey will end with the ending day;
Jou reis sal eindig met die dag wat eiendig;
You never again must pass this way;
Jy moet nooit weer hierdie kant verby kom nie;
You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide â
Jy het die kloof, diep en wyd, oorgesteek â
Why build you the bridge at the eventide?â
Waarom bou jy ân brug in die aand?â
The builder lifted his old gray head:
Die bouer het sy ou grys kop opgelig:
 âGood friend, in the path I have come,â he said,
âGoeie vriend, in die paaidjie waarin ek gekom het,â het hy gesĂȘ
 âThere followeth after me today
âVolg daar na my vandag
A youth, whose feet must pass this way.
ân Jongeling, wie se voete hierdie pad moet verbygaan
This chasm, that has been naught to me,
Hierdie kloof, wat niks is vir my nie,
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.
Vir daardie ligtekop jongeling mag dalk ân slaggat wees.
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Hy, ook, moet oorsteek in die dof skemer;
Good friend, I am building the bridge for him.â
Goeie vriend, ek bou die brug vir hom.â
Thankfully, many years ago God called Erin to be a pioneer for women, like you and me, who found themselves in a hopeless marriage that had crumbled or ceased to exist. I wondered how she was able to believe God for the impossible, since most of you know she had never once heard of a marriage (where a husband left to be with someone else) that had ever been restored.
Dankbaar, het God baie jare terug vir Erin geroep om ân pionier vir vrouens, soos ek en jy te wees, wie hulself in ân hopelose huwelik gevind het wat verkrummel het of opgehou het om te bestaan. Ek wonder hoe sy in staat was om in God te glo vir die onmoontlike aangesien meeste van julle weet dat sy nooit eens van ân herstelde huwelik gehoor het (waar ân man weg is om saam iemand anders te wees) wat ooit herstel was nie.
Part of her faith, she told me, was based on witnessing her own parentsâ marriage being restored after they were separated for nine years. Yet, I believe it started further back. On one of our many visits together, Erin once told me she was faced with something significant when she was just thirteen years old, something that altered the course of her life. She and her best friend were talking about the blue-eyed, blonde hair baby boys each would have after they married, and itâs interesting to me what Erin determined to believe and imagine.
Sy het my vertel, dat deel van haar geloof, gebasseer was om te getuig van haar eie ouers se huwelik wat herstel was nadat hulle vir nege jaar uitmekaar was. Tog, glo ek dit het verder terug gebeur. Op en van ons vele besoeke saam, het Erin vir my vertel dat sy met iets betekenisvol opgesaal was toe sy net dertien jaar oud was, iets wat die koers van haar lewe verander het. Sy en haar beste vriendin het gepraat van die blou-oog, blonde hare baba seuns wat elkeen sou hĂȘ nadat hulle getroud is, en dit is interressant vir my wat Erin vasberade was om te glo en aan te dink.
Erinâs Blue Eyes Testimony
Erin se Blou Oog Getuienis
When I was 13-years-old my friend and I would imagine getting married, then talk about the children we would have. We both decided, as 13-years-old do, that we would have boys first. And I went on to say that my little boys would have blonde-hair and blue eyes! I could honestly see my little towhead boy in my mind just as clearly as if I were looking at my son Dallas and his adorable baby pictures today. It wasnât difficult for my friend to believe the same since she had blonde hair and blue eyes. Yet having dark hair and brown eyes didnât alter what I hoped for. A baby boy with blonde hair and blue eyes is what I wanted, so I imagined it and spoke about it often for years.
Toe ek 13-jaar-oud was het my vriendin en ek ons verbeel ons trou, en dan gepraat oor die kinders wat ons sou hĂȘ. Ons het albei besluit, soos wat 13-jariges doen, dat ons eers seuns sou hĂȘ. En ek het aangegaan om te sĂȘ dat my klein seuntjies blonde hare en blou oĂ« sou hĂȘ! Ek kon eerlik my klein sleepkop seun so duidelik in my verstand sien asof ek vir my seun Dallas en sy skatlike baba fotos vandag kyk. Dit was nie moeilik vir my vriendin om dieselfde te glo nie aangesien sy blonde hare en blou oĂ« ghad het. Tog om donker hare en bruin oĂ« te hĂȘ het nie verander waarvoor ek gehoop het nie. ân Baba seun met blonde hare en blou oĂ« is wat ek wou gehad het, so ek het daaraan gedink en vir jare daaroor gepraat.
Later, when I was in college, I began as a premed student, which meant that one of my classes was genetics. In it we were asked to conduct a personal research. I chose to research the chances of my children having certain characteristics based on genetics, statistics, and gene strengths. Of course, since it was my dream to have a blue-eyed child, I based my research on this statistic. Since my eyes are brown, I discovered my odds were not good. I had, in fact, only a 1 in 4 possibility of having a blue-eyed childâand only if: I married someone who had blue eyes. In addition, for this 1 in 4 chance, both his parents would have to have blue eyes, and at least one of my parents would have to have blue eyes. Unfortunately, neither of my parents had blue eyes.
Later, toe ek in die kollege was, het ek begin as ân voor mediese student wat beteken het dat een van my klasse genetika was. Daarin was ons gevra om ân persoonlike navorsing te doen. Ek het gekies om die kanse van my kinders om sekere eienskappe te hĂȘ gebaseer op genetika, statistieke, en gene sterktes te kies. Natuurlik, aangesien dit my droom was om ân blou-oog kind te hĂȘ, het ek my ondersoek op hierdie statistiek gebaseer. Aangesien my oĂ« bruin is, het ek ontdek dat die kanse teen my goed was, feit is, ek het net ân 1 in 4 moontlikheid om ân blou-oog kind te hĂȘâen net as: ek met iemand getrou het wat blou oĂ« gehad het. Daarby gevoeg, vir hierdie 1 in 4 kanse, moet albei sy ouers blou oĂ« hĂȘ, en ten minste een van my ouers moet blou oĂ« hĂȘ. Ongelukkig, het nie een van my ouers blou oĂ« nie.
Nevertheless, I had more than statistics on my side. I had a mother of faith who told me that when she was a little girl her father had all of her dollsâ eyes changed from the normal blue to brown. She said she prayed for brown-eyed babies, and she got seven of them! True, brown eyes are dominant, but I just knew, like my mother, He would give me the desires of my heart.
Nietemin, ek het meer as statistieke aan my kant gehad. Ek het ân moeder van geloof gehad wie vir my vertel het dat toe sy ân klein dogtertjie was haar pa al haar poppe se oĂ« verander het van die normale blou oĂ« na bruin oĂ«. Sy het gesĂȘ sy het vir bruin-oog babas gebid, en sy het sewe van hulle gehad! Waar, bruin oĂ« is dominerend, maar ek het geweet, net soos my moeder, dat Hy vir my die begeertes van my hart sou gee.
Even though I saw what my paper concluded, that it was an impossibility, and I received an âAâ for my research to confirm that what I hoped for was impossible, I simply prayed and believed that when I had children I would have a blonde haired, blue-eyed baby boy. And because the visions of having that little boy were stronger than factsâthe result of me being able to imagine and believe resulted inâmy first three children were boys with blonde hair AND blue eyes! And, for years everyone made sure to tell me my first sonâs eyes would change color, but they never did. As a matter of fact, they are just as blue today as they were when he was a baby, and he is complimented on just how blue they are all the time!
Alhoewel ek gesien het wat my papier konkludeer het, dat dit ân onmoontlikheid was, en ek het ân âAâ ontvang vir my navorsing om te bevestig dat waarvoor ek gehoop het onmoontlik sou wees, ek het eenvoudig gebid en gegelo dat wanneer ek kinders sou hĂȘ ek ân blonde-hare, blou-oog baba seuntjie sou hĂȘ. En omdat die visioene om daardie klein seuntjie te hĂȘ groter as die feite wasâwas die resultaat van my wat in staat was om te dink en te glo veroorsaak het dat die resultaat was dat my eerste drie kinders seuntjies met blonde hare EN blou oĂ« was! En, vir jare het almal seker gemaak om my te vertel dat my eerste seun se oĂ« van kleur sou verander, maar dit het nooit nie. Om die waarheid te sĂȘ, hulle is vandag net so blou as toe hy ân baba was, en hy word die heeltyd komplimenteer oor net hoe blou hulle is!
By the way, the chances of having a blonde-haired child were better, since 5 out of my 6 siblings were blonde when they were youngâbut it was still a long shot because both their father and I were born with dark hair.
Terloops, die kanse om ân blonde-hare kind te hĂȘ was beter, aangesien 5 uit ses van my broers en susters blond was toe hulle jonk wasâmaar dit was nog steeds ân groot kans omdat albei hulle vader en ek was met donker hare gebore.
It was after my last baby, when my daughter Macy was born, who still has blonde hair and blue eyes that I fully realized that God can do anythingâmore than we could imagine or hope for. Just like it says in Ephesians 3:20 TLB, âNow glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream ofâinfinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes.â
So now my dear bride, after reading Erinâs testimony, what sort of things have you desired and maybe even imagined but were afraid to really hope for? I am sure if youâre like me, there are hundreds of things that you may have never even spoken about or havenât spoken about in a very long time.
So nou my liewe bruid, nadat jy Erin se getuienis gelees het, watter soort dinge het jy begeer en miskien verbeel maar was bang om regtig daarvoor te hoop? Ek is seker as jy soos ek is, is daar honderde dinge waaroor jy nooit in ân baie lang tyd gepraat het nie.
Today is the day to set aside a special time to talk to your Heavenly Husband. Talk to Him about your deepest most innermost treasures of your heart and pull them out one-by-one, and ask Him if you should let go or begin to believe and imagine and not give up on them happening. It is not too late for any of them, but if you have outgrown the impossibility, like I have for a pain-free childbirth, because youâre past childbearing years, be sure you pass the impossibility on to the next generation!
Vandag is die dag om ân spesiale tyd een kant te sit om met jou Hemelse Man te praat. Praat met Hom oor jou diepste mees innerlike skatte van jou hart en trek hulle een vir een uit, en vra Hom of jy moet laat gaan of begin te glo en verbeel en nie op te gee nie oor hulle wat gebeur nie. Dit is nie te laat vir enige een van hulle nie, maar as jy die onmoontlikheid ontgroei het, soos ek vir ân pynlose kindergeboorte, omdat jy verby kinderbaar jare is, wees seker dat jy die onmoontlikheid na die volgende generasie aangee!
 ââFor I know the plans I have for you,â says the Lord, âplans for well-being and not for trouble, to give you a future and a hopeââ (Jeremiah 29:11 NLV).
ââEk weet wat Ek vir julle beplan, sĂȘ die Here: voorspoed en nie teenspoed nie; Ek wil vir julle 'n toekoms gee, 'n verwagting!ââ (Jeremia 29:11) Afr 83).
 âTherefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you For the LORD is a God of justice; how blessed are all those who long for Himâ (Isaiah 30:18).
âTog is die HERE gretig om julle genadig te wees en wil Hy Hom oor julle ontferm: Die HERE is 'n God wat reg laat geskied, en dit gaan goed met elkeen wat op Hom vertrouâ (Jesaja 30:18).
âInstead of your shame you will have a double portion, and instead of humiliation they will shout for joy over their portion Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land, everlasting joy will be theirsâ (Isaiah 61:7).
âIn plaas van vernedering sal julle twee keer soveel besittings hĂȘ as tevore, in plaas van minagting sal julle lof ontvang oor wat julle besit. Julle sal in julle land twee keer soveel besit as tevore en julle sal altyd vreugde hĂȘâ (Jesaja 61:7).
 âThere is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fearâŠâ (1 John 4:18).
âWaar liefde is, is daar geen vrees nie, maar volmaakte liefde verdryf vrees . . .â (1 Johannes 4:18).
 âAsk Me about the things to comeâŠâ (Isaiah 45:11). âYour ears will hear a word behind you, âThis is the way, walk in it,â whenever you turn to the right or to the leftâ (Isaiah 30:21).
âvra oor wat gaan gebeurâŠâ (Jesaja 45:11).âsal jy agter jou 'n stem hoor sĂȘ: âHier is die pad, loop hierlangs.â (Jesaja 30:21).
Just be sure to âthink onâ each of these promises, so you can then begin to IMAGINE the impossible!!
Ja wees seker om âte dinkâ aan elke een van hierdie beloftes, sodat jy jouself die onmoontlike kan begin VERBEEL!!