Just recently, while spending some time with God, He invited me to take a deeper look into when the power of God is released upon humanity. He brought to me phrases from the scriptures like when Jesus says "Let there be light', and "Lazarus, come out!". He brought to my attention the words of Peter as well as he speaks over the lame man, "In the name of Jesus, walk." It became evident that God's power is almost always demonstrated through the release of a spoken word. When God speaks, power is released. The Lord then asked me a question. He said, "Why do you think there is so much warfare around the prophetic as well as people sharing testimony?" It was a lightbulb moment. You see, words, especially given to us from The Lord, carry power and authority. The fact that God would speak to us at all, is incredible insight into who God is.
In the scriptures, there are times when the voice of God is described like the sound of rushing waters, revealing great power and authority. (Ezekiel 43:2) Yet, sometimes, like with Elijah, the voice of God is encountered with a gentle whisper as demonstrated in 1 Kings 19, revealing the closeness of God's presence with his people. God is both of these ideas. We only know His power because he is present, and when God is present, we can expect to see a demonstration of His power.
Think about this for a second: If you are a believer, the same God who created dolphins out of nothing and breathed stars into the skies lives within you. The same God who chose to make pine trees sappy is the same God who knows when you sit and when you rise. The same God who designed the intricacies of the human body and has authority to pause time (Joshua 10) is the same God who perceives your very thoughts at this exact moment. Woah!
In Psalm 8, King David is meditating on these two beautiful realities of who God is. He is both infinitely powerful and intimately personal. He always has been and he always will be. The Psalmist, in this passage, articulates a disposition that many, if not all of us, can connect with. How or why is it even possible that a God of infinite power could hold even the slightest amount of care for sinful man? As David puts it, "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?" (Psalm 8:3)
He's reflecting on the Genesis account where God creates the beautiful and expansive skies and recalls that man was made out of the dust. David, in live time, is trying to reconcile the backdrop of God's beauty and the sinfulness of his own heart, which leads him to ponder that question that we all hear from time to time: How or why could I be so important to God?
Here is the incredibly wild thing. Humanity is God's prized possession! He made us different than the other created things. Psalm 8:5-8 reminds us that he has crowned humanity with glory and honor. The reason God formed us from the dust is not because we are worthless, but because in the Kingdom, weakness is a strength. If we can learn to be content that we came from the dust, God is willing to give you a dominion. This power and authority comes from a surrendered heart that is dependent on Him.
Although we see this idea represented throughout all of the scriptures, there is one verse in particular that in my opinion beautifully encompasses these two ideas of God's infinite power and His intimate presence. Found in Isaiah 43:1.
"But now, this is what the LORD says - he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine."
The Lord has the authority to bring healing and wholeness to you when he says, "I have redeemed you." He does it in the most personal way possible by calling you by name.
The Lord says you belong to Him AND I have covered you!
I pray today that Jesus would stir your affections for who he is - that you would find strength and peace for your soul by resting in his infinite power as well as his intimate presence. I pray that The Holy Spirit would empower you to share with boldness the things God is sharing with you to silence the foe and the avenger. When God's power is released, may the result be that people would experience salvation and declare, "God is really among you!" (1 Corinthians 14:25)
