When I think about going to the next level, it is easy to think about more money, more influence, a bigger platform, or some kind of breakthrough. But I have learned that before God increases what is in my hand, He often has to increase my capacity to handle it. Matthew 25:15 says that the master gave “to every man according to his several ability.” That means God knows what I can handle right now, and He also knows what I have the potential to become. Capacity is simply my ability to hold, carry, manage, and steward what God places in my hands.
That is why I cannot compare myself to somebody else. In the parable, one servant received five talents, another received two, and another received one. They did not all start with the same amount, but the first two were faithful with what they had. The real problem was not that the last servant only had one talent. The problem was that he buried it. He did nothing with it, and when the master returned, all he had to give him was an excuse. That challenges me because I have to ask myself whether I am developing what God gave me or simply explaining why I have not done anything with it.
I think about capacity like a cup, a bucket, and a tub. All three can hold something, but they cannot hold the same amount. If I pour too much into a small container, the problem is not the water; the problem is the capacity of the container. Sometimes we are praying, “Lord, give me more,” while God is saying, “I am working on the container.” The good news is that my present capacity does not have to be my permanent capacity. God can increase my emotional capacity, my mental capacity, my financial capacity, my leadership capacity, and my spiritual capacity.
I have also learned that trials, pressure, and delays can be part of the process. In 1991, during Desert Storm, I experienced a layoff from my job, and that season drove me to prayer in a way I had never experienced before. God birthed another level of prayer in me, and I never went back to where I had been. That is why Romans 8:28 means so much to me. Some things do not feel good while I am going through them, but God can still use them to teach me discipline, patience, wisdom, responsibility, and how to pray on another level.
So my prayer has changed. I am not just asking God to give me more; I am asking Him to make me capable of carrying more. Some blessings require greater discipline. Some doors require more wisdom. Some assignments require more patience. Before God increases what is in my hand, He may have to increase the hand that is holding it. My present capacity does not have to be my permanent capacity, and I believe that as I remain faithful with what He has already given me, God is increasing my capacity.
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