God's Power ...

Monday, Feb 24, 2014. What is it that comes to your mind when you hear about God's power? Is it the wonders which Jesus has performed in the New Testament? Is it about making water to wine, or walking on the lake?

God's Power on Large or Small Scales …

We might have quite different ideas when it comes to God's power. Some of us, who know the Old Testament in a better way, will think about the kingdoms and dominions which have been shaped and influenced by the lord.

We learn about the king of Babylon, who was used to rebuke the people of Israel in around 585 BC, when he took them from Jerusalem into the excile in Babylon. But we also learn about the people of Israel who were used by the Lord to humble the king of Babylon. We hear about the destruction of Babylon, about the end of the Persion empire, about the huge power of Alexander the Great, which found a rapid end, and about the Roman Empire, the kingdom of iron and the kingdom of clay.

God's power can be breathtaking, and since he spans a time frame which is much wider than our personal life time, he is and will stay the huge power, which we can barely understand nor grasp with our limited ressources and possibilities!

Power of the Holy Spirit …

But there is also another power of the Lord, which comes much closer to our personal life. It is the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the power of God's spirit in us and with us. It is the power of his truth, his love, his forgiveness, his wisdom. God does not love the big might, which spans the universe. He rather loves the power of a pure heart!

There are so many believers in this world, who were missing the huge power of the Lord. They had to suffer, and could not experience full physical rescue. God did not come to keep them alive - not yet! God's wisdom is sometimes deeper than what we would be able to comprehend. For him, our death is a mere sleep. For him, who is the source of life, waiting is possible. For us, it is beyond our comprehension!

But still, in the middle of our tiny life, our limited life, the overwhelming power of the Holy Spirit is there. Sometimes, there are very little things which show his presence, very little things like a ray of light or a butterfly in the air. Suddenly, everything is different. God's power is not only the power of a huge hammer, but also the power of the butterfly which changes our heart and brings new hope.

Seeing the sky and the stars has changed the mind of men, sitting in the concentration camps of Nazi Germany without hope. And yet, some of them found hope, where hope was not possible. They found hope from a source which is beyond our limitations. We cannot control it, but it is nevertheless real and wants to be with us in every moment of our life! (Roland Potthast) ... more texts