“He gives power to the
weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength”
(Isaiah 40:29)
Have you wondered about power? Where does it come from? What's it all
about? Why do some
people seem to have it, but others don’t? Down inside for many, there is a subtle
(and sometimes not so subtle) resentment that they have little power. In the first chapter of the Book of Romans, we find the
interesting statement that in mankind, we tend to “…suppress the truth (of God) in unrighteousness, because what may be
known of God is manifest... for God has shown it to them” (Romans 1:18-19). The
Lord is revealing Himself and is willing to share real power with us, but
are we willing to trust in Him?
Behind the rejection of God that is so common, EVERYONE
knows that He is our Creator, but many
pretend He's not real. We catch a glimpse of His might in places
like Isaiah
40, where we see that He is "on high,"
above us all. The Creator of
everything is all-powerful, but "not one
(part of creation) is missing"
(Isaiah 40:26), revealing that He never forgets those He has
created. The atheists
know the truth of all this, but they simply don't want
Him. The power of
God’s love seems like weakness to them. And down inside, we all
subconsciously know that if we lack anything, it is because our
Good Lord has closed certain of life's “doors” to protect us. The power we lack
might destroy us if we had it, but all too many try to force those
“doors” open anyway.
John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, the first Baron Acton, lived from
1834 to 1902. He was a historian and moralist who was otherwise known
simply as Lord Acton. Here’s what he said in a letter written to Bishop
Mandell Creighton in 1887: “Power tends to
corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost
always bad men." Another English politician with a lot of titles
- William Pitt, the Elder, The Earl of Chatham and British Prime
Minister from 1766 to 1778, is sometimes wrongly attributed as the
source of Acton’s words. He did say something similar in a speech to
the United Kingdom House of Lords in 1770: “Unlimited
power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it.”
God cannot be corrupted by power, but we can be.
Abraham Lincoln, the great American leader of the mid-nineteenth
century, became well aware of the dangers associated with power and
here’s what he said about it: “Nearly all men can
stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him
power.” Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France, who was a
conqueror, military genius and a man well acquainted with power, got it
right when he said, “There are in the world two
powers, the sword and the Spirit. And the Spirit has always vanquished
the sword.”
Yet Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to
bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword”
(Matthew 10:34). What on earth did He mean by statements like that? Is
He saying that the power of human weaponry is mightier than the peace offered by the Spirit of God? Certainly, many in the world would
like to believe that it is. In college, I remember being annoyed by the
idea, “Might is Right,” in an
essay by H. G. Wells. But that concept is much older than our modern
essays. Plato in writing “The Republic,”
thousands of years ago, used those words a number of times. And Jesus,
when He spoke of a “sword,” did not refer
to a physical weapon. His words were in parable form, for He was
actually speaking of the “Sword of the Spirit,
which is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:17).
It’s always best to examine God’s Word in its context. In the verses
that surround Ephesians 6:17, Paul the Apostle, the author of that
letter, was comparing the Roman army uniform, so often seen by his
readers of that time, to the way the Lord prepares us for service. Paul's readers all
knew that Roman soldiers were well trained and had better equipment
than the armies they fought against. And God is similarly equipping and
training those who are in the Lord in a better way than the preparation
of any “army” that
has ever existed (Ephesians 6:10-18).
Roman soldiers were given metal armor and helmets, shields made from
the latest metal alloys, and powerful swords that often broke the swords
and spears of opponents, giving Romans the victory, time-and-time again.
Paul noted though, that the “whole armor of God”
for us is not physical in the sense that we understand it. As he said, “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of
this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
This speaks of a much bigger, more terrible enemy than anything ever faced
by the Roman Empire.
And if you haven’t heard these words before, you might be astonished
at the weaponry, both defensive and offensive, with which we are to be
equipped. We are given “…truth…
righteousness… the
preparation of the gospel of peace… faith…
salvation…” and for a “sword,” we are given the “Word of
God.” And he urges us to be in “prayer”
for all those other soldiers who march with us toward the enemy
(Ephesians 6:10-18).
Scripture teaches us in innumerable places and ways to “seek peace and pursue it” (Psalm 34:14). A key name of
the Messiah, the Christ who was to come, would be “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). Jesus called us to be “peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9) and “He
Himself is our peace” (Ephesians 2:14). And yet we see that we are in a war in which we must defend and attack as the
Spirit equips us and the Lord leads us.
The context of Jesus’ words that He did not come to “bring peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34), goes to our
decision as to whether we will retreat in battle or continue to trust in the Lord,
our Commander-in-Chief. Jesus
continued, “I have come to set a man against his
father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her
mother-in-law” (Matthew 10:35). When we trust in our Savior, the
ones we love may become like “swords” that
attack us. You will need to become skilled in “…truth…
righteousness… the
preparation of the gospel of peace… faith…
salvation… and the "Word
of God” in order to survive and know the victory in our Lord
Christ.
The prophet Isaiah
observed that if you are a reasonable person, you will “Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these
things, who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name,
by the greatness of His might, and the strength of His power; not one is
missing” (Isaiah 40:26). God is the Creator of all that is. He had just said, in Isaiah 40:22, that
the earth is not “flat” as scientists in the early Middle Ages would
later teach, but instead it is round, a “circle.”
Incredibly, the church of the Middle Ages wanted to be “modern” and
accepted the “flat-earth” idea, even continuing to believe the lie when some
of the scientists changed their minds. We need God’s
“truth," His might and His love.
He will equip us and we will share in His victory.
All power is of God, and He shares like no one else ever could or
would. “He gives power to the
weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength”
(Isaiah 40:29). God is immensely, utterly powerful, with no limit. Real power
in life and for all eternity is found
through trusting in our mighty Lord.
Father, I’ve tried so hard and failed so often. I need YOUR
strength, Your power, Lord, for the weapons of this world are not enough. I confess
my sins and trust in You. In Jesus Name. Amen.
