Power and Glory

I'm desperate to see the power and glory of God.

As 2017 came to an end, the word "power" often jumped out at me from Bible passages I read.

For Thine is the Kingdom, 
and the Power 
and the Glory forever.  Amen.  
(Matthew 6:13)

I settled into Psalm 65 for a few weeks.

You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness, O God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas, who formed the mountains by your power, having armed yourself with strength, who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations.     (Psalm 65:5-7)

God formed the mountains by His power.  He created the heavens and the earth with His awesome power.  He is the Source of all time, space, matter, energy, light and life.  God is the power behind every other power.  God stills the raging storms.

God also freed us from the power of sin by the exercise of His mighty power:

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe.  That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.     (Ephesians 1:18-21)

For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism.  And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.    (Romans 6:4)

The same glorious power that raised Jesus from death where He lay beneath the crushing burden of the cumulative sins of all humanity, past, present and future, that same power is at work in us, connecting us to the life-giving, life-changing love of God.

If God is for us, who can stand against us?  (Romans 8:31)

I am desperate to see the power and glory of God, and I want to see it this year, now, soon.  I don't want to wait and watch evil have its heyday before God reaches out His hand to do an awesome deed of righteousness.

So (I'm owning this, my brokenness, my flawed strategies), I decided to adopt "Power," and "Glory," as my words for this year.

I'm sure there is a root here, where I am trying to control, manipulate the very God of the Universe.

Dear Jesus, I'm sorry.  I'm so very sorry.  It's just that I am desperate to see your hand work.  You probably want me to seek humility this year, but I beg instead for you to show me your power and glory.  I am in favor of humility, I know it is a treasure I need to seek.  But I desperately crave the unveiling of your power and glory.  Please forgive me and make your power perfect through my weakness.

We recently went to the movie, "Darkest Hour," about when Churchill became Prime Minister and fought against his own government, trying to convince them not to appease Hitler.  At one point, Churchill shouted at his cabinet, "You cannot reason with a tiger when your head is in its mouth!"  The music, the mood, the portrayal of a good, honest, trusting populace, the absolute impossibility of the situation wrecked me.  I sat in the darkness of the theatre and wept.  It was the story of Helm's Deep (another one I can hardly watch), only it was true history and not a fairy tale or an allegory.  Even when the humble fishing boats successfully rescued most of the troops at Dunkirk, I continued to weep, maybe even harder.

Evil terrifies me.  The way people in this world give themselves over to evil terrifies me.

Against all odds, Hitler did not win.  This should fill me with hope, assuring me that there is a good God who controls outcomes.  Hitler did not win.

But the collateral damage that crushed Europe's spirit in the wake of WW2 crushes my spirit, too.  Not completely, but impairingly.

I am impaired by the fear of evil.  Yet, God's word tells me that there is no fear in love; perfect love casts out fear.  The one who fears is not made perfect in love.  (1 John 4:18)

O God, what is the matter with me?  Please help me in my fear.  Please show me your power and your glory.  Please cover me in the shelter of your wings, and comfort me.  Sing over me and quiet me with your love (Zephaniah 3:17).  Please answer my prayers with awesome deeds of righteousness.  My hope is in you, in your awesome power and your unfailing love.

Who can show us any good?  Let the light of your face shine upon us, O Lord.  (Psalm 4:6)  Please, Lord Jesus, Creator and Redeemer, unveil your power and glory for me to see.  Help me this year.  Heal my fears.  Increase my confidence in you.

Amen