Love and Power

I’ve been reading Zechariah and many of his prophetic colleagues. What impressed me was not only the power that the Lord wielded, but also the fear and lack of fear of the Israelites. Their on and off behavior often seems reflective of our own lives.

Why do you think the Lord made sure the Israelites observed His power by destroying their enemies, parting the Red Sea, and creating food to sustain them? Because He was reminding them (and us), over and over, of who He is. We are fickle beings who are easily distracted. We forget what He is capable of and how deeply He loves us. His scripture begs to be read and meditated on deliberately. Sometimes I get caught up in the narrative and forget to do this. Then I go back and try to listen to what He is saying and picture in my mind what the events looked like from the Israelites’ perspective, and then how it speaks to me.

Here are some ways to remind yourself of His latent power. Next time you enjoy the profound beauty of a waterfall, imagine it suddenly stopping at the rim and you watch the water pile up in a heap. Let’s not take His power for granted.

Picture yourself at the beach watching and hearing the waves pound the shore. Now imagine the entire expanse of water in front of you abruptly and magnificently piling up twenty feet high! The sandy bottom directly in front of you is completely dry, not a stone glistening! The scripture is a reminder of His magnificent power. Power, He uses for our benefit.

Paul reminds us, “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (1) This means that He binds together and sustains every molecule of His creation. Our skeletal system keeps us upright. But if not for the Lord, our bodies wouldn’t hold together, nor any of our surroundings. The Lord sustains us.

The Lord also cares for us. Just as the Israelites didn’t need new shoes and clothing, they never went hungry. He does the same for us. Next time you wake and see the dew on the grass, remember to thank Him for your manna. This is His love and deep compassion for us. Every dollar that sits in our bank accounts is from Him and the house and car we drive as well. When we mess up and sin against Him, He plucks us out of the fire.

“And the LORD said to Satan, ‘I, the LORD, reject your accusations, Satan. Yes, the LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you. This man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from the fire.’” (2)

This, of course, does not mean we should ever take His mercy and power for granted. He is also capable of intense wrath and may discipline us until we realize we are dust without Him. Our battle against sin started in the garden, continues throughout the entire Bible and is still a wicked thread throughout our lives. We are like the Israelites. But our Lord expresses His love for us as mercy.

We have the risen Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the Father within us to help win our battles. He blessed us with His promise in the Bible that sin will end when He makes the world new. John, in Revelation, spoke about this day:

“The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.” (3)

This is the power we will someday witness! And within it all is Love. He loves us. He disciplines us and forgives us. The triune God made the highest spiritual and physical sacrifice for the love of His children. He completely forgave our waywardness and rebellion while simultaneously watching the agony of His Son on the cross, not rescuing him when He easily could have. Instead, He raised Jesus from the dead and promised us a place in his own home, loving us for eternity.

“A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory.”
Isaiah 42:3 ESV

1. Colossians 1:17 NIV
2. Zechariah 3:2 NLT
3. Revelation 6:14 ESV