2007-10-20 - Power With God

2 Corinthians 12:10, "For when I am weak, then I am strong."

I had originally titled this "Power Over God," and before anyone reading this freaks out, and says (truly), "God is omnipotent and sovereign and we don't have power over God, He has power over us,"….before you write me and offer correction, please know that I agree with you. We do not have power over God, and I don't wish to convey that. However, having said that, there is at least one way that we have an influence, which, while not a prevailing power, can be viewed as something that moves His hand and gives us power with Him. It might surprise you how we have such power with God. The answer is found in the above verse. We have power with God in our weakness.

In my job I spend some time in hospitals, and sometimes I end up in a children's ward. Sometimes I see things I wish I did not see. Sometimes I will witness a child, days old, with tubes coming in and out, and machines all around him/her. The family sits by the bed side with their hearts quietly screaming for this youngster. There is such a sense of helplessness when witnessing such a scene. If I had the power, I could not be but moved to compassion, and heal the child. Its helplessness, its inability to act, its seeming innocence, and painful struggle would move my hand if I had the power to do something. It is as if the child has a power over me. I would do whatever I could to end the suffering - if only I could. This power does not come from the strength of the child, or from its wealth and greatness, but rather from its weakness. It is the need of the child that gives it the power over me to move my heart to compassion. The misery has sway over my sensibilities. The spectacle of the suffering generates my pity. It is the dreadful necessity of the condition of the child that moves me deeply.

Now if I, sinful and fallen as I am, can be moved to compassion over the condition of a young child, how much more does our Heavenly Father, who tenderly loves and cares for us, love us when we come to Him poor and needy. God is all goodness. He is all affection. He is all caring. How can our spiritual need and poverty not move Him to compassion when we come to Him seeking guidance and help. When we come to the Lord let us remember to come in humility. Let us come to Him acknowledging our need. This is much more likely to move Him to pity us than our coming to Him in our supposed strength. Would we really be foolish enough to remind God of all our goodness, and sufficiency, and expect to move Him to look favorably upon us? If we would come to God seeking kindness from Him, we would not be wise to start off reminding Him how enriched we are already. We come to Him as poor needy sinners, who bring nothing save that which we have already been given, and we plead our need, and poverty before the Lord. If we would seek to move the hand of our Lord, let us remind Him of our need, not our sufficiency. It is then that our prayers, praying as the publican (Luke 18:9-14), "Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner," will have true power with God.

Soli Deo Gloria,
T-

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