Power Outage - Devotions for 4-10-24

Psalm 62:11 “Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this; that power belongs to God.”

            This past weekend was the first time that I had to cancel church for a power outage. The wind was whipping the area with gusts up to 100 MPH and the power company decided it had to turn the power off to many areas to prevent their lines arcing and starting grass fires that could turn deadly in that wind. They turned it off on Saturday and said that power should be back on after midnight. Well, it wasn’t. The power did not come back on until the early morning hours of Monday, leaving the church without electricity all day on Sunday. We had a power outage.

            That got me to thinking about real power. There are all kinds of power in this world. There is electrical power, the kind the church was lacking on Sunday. There is the power of the vote that comes at every election season. There is the power of water that shows itself whenever there is some huge flood that washes away everything in its path. There is the power of the pen that is seen whenever someone writes something that captures the attention of millions of people. There is also the power of truth, and this world needs a lot more of that.

            Then there is the power of God. Actually, all power comes from God. God created electricity, He created the power of rushing water, He created the power of the pen, He created the power of dynamite and nuclear power. God created all power because he created everything that is. All power ultimately comes from God.

            This Psalm says that clearly, “power belongs to God.” It belongs to Him because it comes from Him. He created all things so the power that is in anything comes from Him.

            I need to remember that the next time I’m thinking I am too weak to attempt to do something. Am I really, or does God in me, give me the power to do more than I think I can? I need to remember God’s power when I am faced with anything that has greater power than I do. I am weak, but He is strong, and He is in me. God is in all of us who believe. That is why the scriptures also say, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13. As believers in Christ, the creator of all things, we are stronger than we think we are. Let us remember that when we are placed in a position of weakness, especially spiritual weakness. We are as strong as God wants to make us.

            If you read this Psalm, you will see something else with this verse, it does not have a period at the end of verse 11, there is a comma there. What follows after saying that power belongs to God is “and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love.”

            Power and love. Both belong to God, and they are listed here side-by-side in the same sentence. There is something to this and in part it is that love is one of the greatest powers in the universe. God’s love is a great power, a force in this world. God’s love changes lives and changes the world. Just look at the greatest display of love ever, Jesus’ death on the cross. God showed His great love for us in that He sent Jesus to be born of a virgin, and then to die on a cross and be raised from the grave. That is the greatest display of love ever and that changed millions of lives and changed all of history. That was power!

            One thing we can take away from this is that God’s love is also in us and we can share that love with others. That is the greatest power we can have, the power of God’s love. Let us show God’s love to others in ways that will allow Jesus to change them and change the world. There is no lack of power, no power outage, when Christians show love to others.

Pastor Gary.