Greater Is He

In my post on June 28, I described how I can magnify God in my own life and experience. When you think of it, that is an incredible, and humbling, statement to make. The fact that my life, like yours, can make a difference in how God is viewed by others is quite something. That means, in fact, that it is my life that becomes, as it were, a magnifying glass. When people view God through my testimony, they get an enlarged view of who God is, seeing Him in greater detail than they would otherwise have seen Him. Your life too, in its own unique way, can become a magnifying glass, a lens through which people can understand God in fresh and new ways. After all, isn't that what a "testimony" is all about?

In this post, I want to take up something that I mentioned in my post on "The Spiritual Magnifying Glass". In that post, I quoted 1 John 4:4 which says:

"You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."

This has been a great encouragement to me as I've had to face what appear to be insurmountable circumstances -- in particular an illness which medical science calls "terminal." What is interesting to note is that this illness is, at this time, greater than medical science. People put a lot of faith in medical science -- and it is indeed amazing what science has done, and will continue to do -- yet human knowledge will always have its limits. Even when medical science finally conquers cancer, there will always be something else that will define the limits to human capability. But those limits do not apply to God. By definition, He is greater than every limit, every obstacle, every thing that might seek to oppose His will and purpose.

And the amazing thing, revealed by 1 John 4:4 and other scriptures, is that this almighty God is now residing in me! (note Luke 17:21; Ephesians 3:16; Colossians 1:29). He is not outside of my personal frame of reference -- someone whom I address from a distance, trying to get His attention. No, He has become a vital part of my life, and now it is from within me that He works. This is emphasised in Ephesians 3:20, which says:

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us..."

This next couple of weeks are a time of focused prayer and intercession for me and my family. On Saturday, my parents are driving down from Newcastle, arriving in Melbourne on Sunday, and for the next several days we'll be pressing in "to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me" (Philippians 3:12).

So let's take a brief look at the power of God, remembering that, according to Ephesians 3:20, this power is now "at work within us" -- a power that is "able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine."

• Exodus 15:6 - "Your right hand, O LORD, was majestic in power. Your right hand, O LORD, shattered the enemy.

• Psalm 66:3 - "Say to God, 'How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you.'"

• Psalm 89:13 - "Your arm is endued with power; your hand is strong, your right hand exalted."

• Psalm 147:5 - "Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit."

• Psalm 150:2 - "Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness."

• Isaiah 40:10 - "See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him."

• Isaiah 40:26 - "Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing."

• Jeremiah 10:6 - "No one is like you, O LORD; you are great, and your name is mighty in power."

• Jeremiah 32:17 - "Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you."

I particularly love Psalm 150:2, which speaks of God's "surpassing greatness." In fact, many verses use superlative language when describing the power of God (see 2 Corinthians 4:7; Ephesians 1:19; 3:20).

2 Thessalonians 1:9 speaks of "the majesty of his power," and this awesome power is now living within me! 2 Corinthians 4:7 calls this "all-surpassing power" a "treasure [hidden] in jars of clay" -- in other words, in the weakness and frailty of my human body there resides a power that surpasses anything that can possibly come against it!

Isaiah 63:12 describes how God "sent his glorious arm of power to be at Moses' right hand, who divided the waters before them, to gain for himself everlasting renown..." Now this same "glorious arm of power" -- the same arm that "divided the waters" before the people of Israel -- undergirds my life.

Isaiah 40:29 tells us that God "gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak." For this reason, Joel 3:10 says: "Let the weakling say, 'I am strong!'"

In response to Paul's request for help, God made this promise to him in 2 Corinthians 12:9:

"...My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

Paul's response is also my response:

"...Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses...For when I am weak, then I am strong."

We started off this post with a quotation from 1 John 4:4:

"You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."

As I face the hardships ahead, I know that I have within me the power to overcome -- not because of any innate strength or power that I possess, but simply because the One who has overcome the world has taken up residence in my heart. No matter what I may face, "the one who is in [me] is greater than the one who is in the world"!