God’s power Archives • Knowing God and His Ways

Faith can flourish even in the darkness when it stands on God’s greatness and glory.

For several posts we have been looking at five things that enabled Abraham to wait on God in the dark, based on Romans 4:18–21:

“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’ Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.” (Rom. 4:18–21, NIV)

In this post we examine points 4 and 5.

4. How Abraham was strengthened in his faith

Fourth, Abraham could wait for the Lord because he “was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God.” Abraham was strengthened in his faith by filling his mind with believing thoughts. He chose to believe what God called him to believe. But we cannot choose that in our own power; rather, we must cooperate with God’s grace. The verse says he “was strengthened,” which is a passive verb. Something outside of Abraham helped him believe, and that of course was God’s Spirit and promise. Still, the passive verb, “was strengthened,” does not mean it happened automatically without Abraham’s cooperation. We respond to God’s grace by deciding to believe his word. Abraham chose the life of faith. He did it deliberately. He was strengthened in his faith.

With this choice “he gave glory to God.” This too is how Abraham was able to wait on the Lord and maintain hope and faith. God always works in us to show his glory, and he calls us always to have the same purpose: “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). When God’s glory becomes our goal in believing the promise and waiting on him, we align ourselves with his purposes, and he helps us see as he sees, think as he thinks, feel as he feels. Instead of our struggling to move the hand of God, perhaps even feeling as though we are struggling against him because he does not seem to want to do what we want, we trust God’s ways because we love his glory. He is unsearchably great, has thoughts infinitely above our thoughts, and walks in ways inscrutable.

Our faith has its source, continuity, and purpose in God’s glory. Faith resembles a massive river whose fountainhead, length, and ocean destination is the glory of the Lord. A life of faith is from, through, and to his glory. He reveals his glory in our spirit, and we respond with faith. We worship God day by day, and as a result we know him more deeply, and faith increases. As faith increases, our sense of his reality, presence, and glory increases. Ultimately he rewards our faith by giving Isaac, and people, angels, and demons see how worthy God is of trust. A life like Abraham’s, tested by time, displaying God’s faithfulness, uniquely reveals divine glory.

5. Persuaded by God’s power

Abraham could wait for the Lord because he was “fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.” God’s power is persuasive. There is no promise he cannot keep.

Is the test of waiting wearing on you, wearing you out, wearing you down? Meditate on God’s power, his power in creating the universe with its 100 billion galaxies, each one averaging some 100 billion stars, each star named by God. Meditate on God’s power in creating and controlling each molecular, atomic, and subatomic particle. Meditate on God’s power in judging Egypt and its idols with ten plagues, parting the Red Sea for Israel’s escape, and closing the Sea on cue to destroy Egypt’s army. Meditate on God’s power revealed atop Mount Sinai in a consuming fire and mighty voice, accompanied by trumpet blast, earthquakes, thunder, and lightning.

Meditate on God’s power working through Jesus to give sight to blind eyes, strength to lame legs, flesh to withered arms, hearing to deaf ears, life to dead bodies, hope to broken hearts, cleansing to lepers, beauty for ashes, joy for sorrow. Meditate on God’s power in raising Jesus from the grave and seating him at his right hand with all creation, people, angels, and demons under his feet. Meditate on the power of Jesus, who by his Word upholds all. When you are fully persuaded of God’s power, you will know he can do whatever he promises, and when you know that, you can wait patiently, because the passing of time is no threat.

But Abraham was not always so fully persuaded.

In next week’s post, we will see that even Abraham’s and Sarah’s faith faltered for a season, but then recovered.

Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)

Is God able to do what you ask?

Jeremiah said, “Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.” (Jeremiah 32:17, ESV)

That should take your breath away and leave you pondering how a being can exist who is this powerful. This truth is well beyond the understanding of our limited, finite minds, so do not be surprised as it boggles yours. Nevertheless, accept it, for Scripture teaches it unmistakably. And regularly meditate on this truth and the Scriptures that teach it because it is the foundation of established faith.

A stubborn problem

This truth was at the crux of one, highly emotional interaction Jesus had with a distraught father. The man’s son had experienced life-threatening seizures for years. The father loved his son and had enough faith to believe that Jesus might be able to heal him. He came with his son to the location where Jesus and his disciples were ministering, but Jesus was not available, so the disciples prayed over the boy, without success.

The father was disappointed and began to argue with the disciples. Suddenly Jesus came on the scene and asked his disciples: “What are you arguing about with them?”

The father spoke up, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.”

Can Jesus do it?

Jesus called for the boy.

“And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth.

“And Jesus asked his father, ‘How long has this been happening to him?’ And he said, ‘From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.’”

Jesus could not let that statement pass by without objection. “If you can!” replied Jesus.

Imagine how laughable those words were to Jesus, through whom all things were created. I wonder if Jesus thought something like this: If you can! If you can! What do you mean, if you can! Do you know who I am? I was at the Father’s side as we together created every star and planet in the universe (John 1:1–2), and every animal that creeps on the earth, and every fish and bird and insect. I am the unique, eternal Son of God. I created the burning inferno you call the sun, and I maintain its fire and the light and life it gives to this planet.

If you can! Yes, I can! I am able. I am able to heal your son and do anything else my Father in heaven wants me to do. Nothing is impossible for him or for me!

And because nothing is impossible for us, nothing is impossible for the one who believes in us.

All things are possible

We do not know what Jesus thought, but verse 23 tells us what Jesus said: “All things are possible for one who believes.”

“Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, ‘I believe; help my unbelief!’ And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, ‘You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.’

“And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, ‘He is dead.’ But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.” (vv. 24–27)

God’s Almighty Power

Faith and unbelief are central to understanding this story, along with God’s unlimited power and those through whom his power works. Jesus brought all that into focus with his breathtaking statement, “All things are possible for one who believes.” (v. 23)

And the distraught father felt the weight of those words as he immediately cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief.” (v. 24)

Obviously all things are not possible for a human in himself. But when faith brings God’s power into the equation, everything changes, for all things are possible with God. That is what Jeremiah said, “Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.” (Jeremiah 32:17, ESV)

So a foundational truth for those who are established in faith is the biblical understanding of God’s ability. God rules over all with unlimited, sovereign, almighty power.

Scriptures on God’s Almighty Power

You will not believe that in the depths of your soul without God’s revealing it to you by his Spirit, and he does that as you meditate on his Word. So here are some Scriptures through which God can cause you truly to believe that he rules over all with unlimited, sovereign, almighty power.

“The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.” (Psalm 103:19)

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalm 91:1)

Jesus said, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.” (Matthew 10:29)

The angel who announced to Mary that she would conceive the Son of God in her virgin womb said to her: “Nothing will be impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37)

“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” (Matthew 19:26)

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” (Mark 14:36)

Genesis 2:4 says, “These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.”

Ephesians 3:20 says God “is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us…”

Nehemiah prayed, “You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.” (Nehemiah 9:6)

Psalm 96:5 says, “All the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens.”

Isaiah 44:24 says, “Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb: ‘I am the LORD, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself.’”

Isaiah 45:18 says, “Thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited!): ‘I am the LORD, and there is no other.’”

Psalm 104.

Nature does not rule over God

Is God able to do what you ask?

Most people might say in theory God can do anything, but in daily life they show they believe God can do nothing that contradicts what are called the laws of science. It is hard for them to imagine that divine miracles occur, and they do not expect them to happen when they pray. In their minds, a miracle would be quite a challenge for God to perform. They believe nature controls God rather than God controls nature.

But Scripture declares and shows that God has unlimited power to do as he pleases in the earth. He created and currently controls all natural and supernatural processes, things, and forces. The “laws of nature” are simply God’s normal way of running the natural world. Nature is subject to God; God is not subject to nature. God is not limited, not distant and withdrawn, not subject to the laws of nature, not weak. Rather he is powerful, present, and working as he pleases.

Your faith will be as large as your view of God’s ability. Your faith will be established as you believe God rules over all with unlimited, sovereign, almighty power.