Divine Power

As I was sitting in my office trying to muster up the energy to write a blog post for this week, Pastor Stacey walked in and asked a question for me to ponder: “How is God’s power made perfect in weakness?” That is, how does that tangibly look in a person’s life? I thought this was a great question so I did the one thing that I always do when I am faced with a difficult question that I don’t know the answer.

I Googled it.

Over 3.3 million hits later I realized...there are too many websites out there. Too many websites and too few answers. Lots of opinions on what our weaknesses are, what they could be, what God’s strengths are, why we focus on weakness, etc, etc, etc. So I decided to do the next thing that I always do when I am faced with a difficult question that I don’t know the answer.

I Bibled it.

And then realized that maybe it’s time for some re-definition. What is “power” when looked at from a Divine perspective? There is a precedent for this “divine re-definition”. Peter states that God is not slow to keep his promises as we would understand slowness (1 Peter 3:9). A thousand years is like a day to Him, and a day a thousand years. His perspective is better than our perspective.

Which led me to this...

“When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them, ‘Take nothing for the journey - no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.’ So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.” (Luke 9:1-6)

If the disciples were making a list of their own weaknesses, what would they put down? They were not given a staff. They had no bag to hold any possessions, which was ok since they had no bread, no money, and no extra clothing. They were sent to places where people would not accept them, and they didn’t know where they would lay their head down to sleep on any given night.

Yet Jesus gave them power.

Divine power is not power as we would understand power. Divine power has an eternal perspective. The disciples received power to proclaim the kingdom of God and the good news to all who would listen. Despite their “light and momentary troubles” (again, a divine perspective), they had all the power that they needed. God had gone before them to provide for their needs and make up for their short comings and weaknesses so divine power could shine through them.

As Paul will write in Philippians: “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:12-13)

Divine power is manifest as a testimony, as God brings us through our weakness, even in the midst of our weakness.

Divine power is made real when we help give counsel to the one who is carrying our similar weakness and we help them work through it.

Divine power comes on us when we provide a meal, or a bed, or a roof for the one who is lacking.

Divine power comes to life on the mouth of the ones who declare that Jesus is Lord to those who have not heard and have not seen.

Yet divine power is not completed on this side of life, because that type of power is only found in a new heaven and a new earth, when all our weaknesses are wiped away and there are no more tears. Until then, we trust that God’s grace is sufficient and that our weakness is made perfect in His power.

So let us boast all the more gladly about our weaknesses so that kingdom of God can be advanced for His glory.