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His Power

             “The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him. (Exodus 15:2)

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (I Corinthians 10:13)

Yesterday’s thought was on the idea that God is bound to use His power on our behalf. Dallas Willard might had described this as “sharing” His power with us. It’s reasonable to consider today when, under what conditions, and for what purpose He will do so. Our first impulse is to desire its use whenever we wish, for whatever we wish. Were our thoughts like God’s thoughts, this might be so, but too often, our thoughts are not like His, and so we must consider this question further.

I will begin with a disclaimer here. The ideas presented by Gurnall are not laws by which God is obliged to work. God can and does use His power on our behalf in other ways, but what he describes is still true. The first circumstance in which we can depend on God to use His power is when we are weighed down by sin. His power is greater than our sin. He has the power – among others – of forgiveness even when no one else will forgive. It is His power that is at work in you to sanctify you.

A second is when we are being overpowered by temptation. It seems to me that too often, I am “overpowered” by temptation the second it breaths on me. There’s no thought of standing against it. I take its offered hand and off we go. One of the ways His power may be given to us in this area is the power to recognize temptation for what it is. Another is to reject the temptation, which may require enduring it.

A third is when we are oppressed by Christian duty. Sometimes, being a Christian is hard. We may be called to suffer. We may be called to act when it is difficult, or to refrain from acting when it is in our nature to act. When your faith is weak; your love, frail; your patience, at an end; and your hope, lost – that is when we must turn to Him. He will supply. It may take time, but His power is sufficient.

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