Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – November 3, 2020
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us. . . Ephesians 3:20
When I was in sixth grade, I loved serving crosswalk duty after school. While my crosswalk partner and I were as helpful as we could be, we didn’t have a lick of power. If a car accident happened, we couldn’t give a ticket. If people jaywalked, we couldn’t fine them. If someone fell and needed CPR, we were powerless. We had the title, the badge, and we sure were nice, but we didn’t have any real power.
This reminds me of how some people see God. They think He’s like a crosswalk guard. He’s compassionate and has good intentions toward those He loves, but He can’t do anything for them because He’s powerless. He would love to help, but He’s just too weak. As you can imagine, this view of God can make anyone feel as if they have to bear the burden of life alone. How tragic!
I once spoke with a man named Dave over a cup of tea and we talked about having correct—and incorrect—views of God. He described why he believes he struggles with seeing God as a wimpy crosswalk guard.
He said, “My mother died when I was nine, and our family was torn apart. My father, although loving and compassionate, felt incapable of raising two boys at home alone, so he sent my brother and me to live at our aunt’s house. I had fun with my cousins, but I felt abandoned by my dad. Now, often when I face a problem that needs supernatural intervention, I believe that God wants to do something about it, but He just can’t.”
It’s interesting that Dave’s view of God is that He’s like his earthly father was—loving and compassionate but weak and incapable of fixing problems or handling life. That’s not unlike what many people experience. They simply transpose their picture of their earthy father onto God. (I’ve done this myself!)
Here are some scriptures that show why seeing God as a crosswalk guard is faulty.
Isaiah 59:1 says that “the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.”
Daniel 4:35 says that God “does as He pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth.”
John 19:11 says that those who crucified and tortured Jesus would not have had any power over Him if it had not been given to them from God and
Job 42:2 says that God “can do all things and that no plan of His can be thwarted.”
In addition to these scriptures, many others support the truth that God does what He wants when He wants and that nothing can stop Him. When you mix that kind of power with the powerful love of God, you know you have a larger-than-life Father on your side who can be trusted.
“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all” (1 Chronicles 29:11).
Prayer
Lord, I am so grateful that you aren’t powerful and unkind, or loving and weak. I am so glad that you are a powerful God who loves me! You always have my back and you will take care of all that concerns me. Amen.
Application
Is there anywhere in your life that you struggle to trust that God isn’t passive or uninvolved? Talk with Him about your lack of faith today and tell Him that you choose to trust in His love and power.
Related Reading
Colossians 1:16; Isaiah 26:4; Jeremiah 10:12
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