Estimated reading time: 5 minute(s)
Sorry for the prolonged abscence. My brain has not ceased to function… quite the opposite. We are (I think) in the beginning stage of some major transitions here… more on that later… but, for now… some thoughts from the past couple days:
God’s Power
A friend of ours lives in Afghanistan. Working with folks there. In Kabul. Last week he got to experience a fairly large earthquake that was over 150 miles away… but still strong enough to shake the building where he was. Thousands (i think) died. Which is insane. But, he was commenting on the force that it takes to do such a thing… and reflecting on the power of the God who made all this… and said:
And this weekend we’re reminded that the same God has conquered death and for some reason offers us the chance to "share in the power." I don’t know about you, but I need to understand more of what that means because it’s a lot more power than what I’m used to!
And I thought… yeah. We (Christians) do miss out on a lot of the Power of God that I think we could know in our everyday lives. He is BIG. He is POWERFUL. And He offers that to us:
2Tim. 1:7
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
Eph. 1:17-21
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
Eph. 3:16-20
I 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 knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now 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,
So… it would seem, we are to experience God’s power in our everyday lives… BUT… often we do not. I think mostly because we don’t EXPECT it. We expect little from God, so that is what we get. He still works amazingly and surprises us… but what would life be like if we really understood the POWER of God???
Ruth
We have a friend named Ruth – she usually goes by Ruthie… but she said once to me that she didn’t really like her name (kinda… "fuddy-duddy"…) till she heard about the Ruth in the Bible. I got to read that story again a couple days ago in my through-the-bible-in-a-year Bible… and… well… she has reason to be proud of her name! 🙂
Ruth, (NOT a Jew… the ones who were supposed to "get it") showed AMAZING commitment, loyalty and trust and faith in God… and God honored that. He provided for her and her family, when she gave up everything she knew to love the mother of her deceased husband. God even brought ME salvation through HER. (She was King David’s great grandma… and David was Jesus’ direct ancestor… and well… Jesus is my brother and my savior… and he rocks.) 🙂
So… good on ya, Ruth! 🙂
Hannah
We have another friend named Hannah… I don’t know if she likes her name or not… She’s 3. 🙂 But she should be proud of another lady with her name… (I read her story today…) She wanted children… and had none. And with great anguish asked God to give her children… for a long time…
And God did. He gave her a son. But there’s more to the story. It doesn’t end there…
When she asked God for a child, she promised to dedicate him to the Lord. And you know… she really did! I was amazed by that. Here this is the one thing she wants most in life… and she had lots of time to think of a way to get out of that once she became pregnant. I am sure she wondered how she could honor the vow and keep her child… but she went through with it.
1Sam. 1:24, 28
After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, … and brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh… So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD. And he worshiped the LORD there.
I just thought… WOW… that’s so amazing. And God blessed her with three sons and two daughters. Amazing. I wonder how I am doing with giving God the first of what I really want from him? I try hard to do that with money… time? more? Just makes me think.
I want to be like Hannah. Trusting. Grateful. Bold. And Ruth. Commited. Loyal. Faithful. Trusting. God honors those whose faith is in Him. I want to know his power in my life.
Is. 8:17 I will wait for the LORD, … I will put my trust in him.