Psalm 62:11 “God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.”
Power may be something we all have, but it does not belong to us-it is just rented for awhile. Power is not just something God has or demonstrates occasionally-in its essence and totality, power belongs to God. The difference between the power we have and the power God has is like the difference between the power I have from flipping on a light switch and the power that the electric company “rents” to me. If our power company in Tennessee were to lose power this morning, I could flip all the light switches in my house I want to, but I am not going to get anything! The power company is the source and I am the “renter.” The power doesn’t actually belong to me (though sometimes it feels like it should for all the money I pay!); I am just renting it from the source.
Whatever power you need or lack this morning, God has it. “Power belongeth unto God.” Are you weak? “Power belongeth unto God.” Are you in the dark, spiritually? “Power belongeth unto God.” But honestly, aren’t there other places that you can find power in this world today? Yes, but no ruler in this world has any power apart from the benevolence and allowance of a righteous God!
No matter who the “power brokers” are, “power belongeth unto God.” Haven’t we been reminded in the last year how pop icons come and go? Their favor and money comes and goes. You may go to a secondary source, but any power there is comes from God.
The fact that God is the Source of power can and should be comforting because verses 11-12 say, “Power belongeth unto God . . . Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.” God sees everything I do and everything I am, yet He gives me power and mercy. It is natural for us to try to frame ourselves in a good light before other people; yet God knows me inside and out, and He still gives mercy and power!
By extension, any mercy you show to an undeserving soul is just like your power-you received it from God. Anytime you show patience and mercy to someone else, you are simply passing along what you received from God.
Will you be tested today by someone you see or work with? You will need strength and mercy; and you will not have either unless God is the Source. If you rely on a secondary source, your patience will fizzle out, you will crack, and you will lose your temper. Remember today that “power belongeth unto God . . . also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy. . . .”
Prayer Requests:
1. Evangelists Wil Rice and Tim Thompson in the Philippines with Missionary Bob Himes and others (Jan. 5-18)
2. Revival services tonight in Floral City, FL