For months leading up to the January 1, 2020 launch of my podcast, God kept after me to begin podcasting regularly. I’d been consumed with feelings of inadequacy, and the prospect of writing and recording enough episodes to release a new one every single Wednesday overwhelmed me. My husband faithfully produces my podcast, and he knows that reaching this milestone of 150 consecutive episodes is a miracle all by itself.
But God planned a greater miracle for this milestone.
Our wonder-working God delights in going above and beyond. I think that’s why He prompted me to ask a favor of my podcast listeners recently. Before doing any math to see if my goal was realistic, I asked my listeners to help me reach 20,000 total listens by my November 20th birthday.
I first made the impossible request during the closing moments of my podcast four weeks ago. At the time, I didn’t realize the significance of the approaching milestone. I was too focused on how many “listens” I needed to reach my goal and how little time I had to get there.
I checked my listener statistics every morning, dividing the difference between my goal and my current stats by the number of days until my birthday.
Based on my averages, I would fall short.
Why hadn’t I done the math first? Oh, that’s right. This wasn’t my idea. God had been the one to prompt me to ask for this impossible birthday gift. So, I continued asking for the favor with a mustard seed of faith at the end of each episode.
As I prepared to record last week’s episode, God brought a memory to the forefront of my mind. I had also asked for help to reach 10,000 total listens.
I checked my archives and discovered I’d made that request at the end of Episode 100.
Struck by the realization that I would double my total listens in half the time if I could reach 20,000 by Episode 150, I reached for my phone to check my stats. I would need a new equation to reach my goal two weeks early.
Anxious thoughts of failure tried to grip my heart like talons, but I took them captive.
“Oh no, you don’t!” I said out loud so that my heart knew I meant business. “No matter what number I see, I refuse to be discouraged.”
On November 1st, I gasped at a completely unexpected number and sensed God’s delight.
19,998
Not only would I reach my goal before my birthday, I’d arrive before reaching the milestone of my 150th episode. Now I can’t help but wonder… What surprise is God planning to give me on November 20th?
“Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Matthew 17:20 (NIV)
Don’t be afraid to reach farther than you think you can. The wider the chasm between you and your goal, the more magnificent your leap of faith and the greater the display of the glory of God. May you sense his delight in making all things possible for you.
“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26 (NIV)
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