BY PASTOR SUSAN YOUNG
Contributing Writer
Power and strength seem to be something many seek, but what this looks like in the life of a Christian is not how the world defines it.
When you recognize your power, you can be humble. Many of us never get to a place of humility. We primarily come to the place of false humility: “Oh, I am nothing, no one.” This is a place of weakness.
You were created in the image of God. You have power when you align and move yourself into that place. David understood that God had given him heavenly authority.
We love David and Goliath, the story of a little guy against the agency of government and their hostile takeover.
In this story, the little guy won, but we overlook David’s heavenly authority, given to him by God, who gave a slingshot and a rock the power to overcome Goliath.
It wasn’t the size or the age of the man standing before the giant that mattered, but the atmosphere the kingdom brought that moment.
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.
“One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock,” Psalms 27: 1-5.
When you do not understand your power, you will be like Peter in the garden. He wielded a sword to cut an ear and missed the point of the call of God in his life. Thank God for redemption from our foolish nature.
While we love weapons, weapons in the hands of a warrior are wielded differently than a thug.
When you relinquish the power of your own hand to the power of God, you understand the strength King David possessed.
What area of your life needs to be surrendered to the Lord? You may be hesitant to release it, as it may feel as if you are yielding power. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
In fact, you are putting power in the only place true power is held, with our Lord.
“The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore,” Psalms 121:7-8.
