Introduction. For “forty days, morning and evening,” the armies of Israel, with fear in their hearts, heard the challenge of Goliath proclaiming his defiance against the armies of Israel. While everyone else “fled from him and were dreadfully afraid,” the first time David heard his words, he was confident of victory. He saw things vastly different than the rest of Israel. While they saw only the power of the man that made victory impossible, David saw the power of God that would easily bring victory. A few hours later, David stood before Goliath proclaiming: “I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts,” and “the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.” (1Sam. 17).
David is not alone. Scripture is filled with accounts of those who won their souls and gained amazing victories over the elements of fire and water and the terrible evil of wicked and cruel men. The common thread for every victory was an absolute trust and confidence in God’s power. No matter what the obstacle or powerful force they had to contend with, their confidence was the same.
It is vitally important that we understand and know the exact origin of this confidence, so we can create and enhance it in our own heart. It begins with an understanding of the most basic aspects of faith as set forth in the Scriptures. After describing faith as the “assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen”, the Hebrew writer concluded with: “By faith we understand that the worlds have been framed by the word of God, so that what is seen hath not been made out of things which appear.” (Heb. 11:1-3).
David is not alone. Scripture is filled with accounts of those who won their souls and gained amazing victories over the elements of fire and water and the terrible evil of wicked and cruel men. The common thread for every victory was an absolute trust and confidence in God’s power. No matter what the obstacle or powerful force they had to contend with, their confidence was the same.
It is vitally important that we understand and know the exact origin of this confidence, so we can create and enhance it in our own heart. It begins with an understanding of the most basic aspects of faith as set forth in the Scriptures. After describing faith as the “assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen”, the Hebrew writer concluded with: “By faith we understand that the worlds have been framed by the word of God, so that what is seen hath not been made out of things which appear.” (Heb. 11:1-3).
It is our responsibility and duty to see these things every time we look at anything in the material creation. We must learn to make this resound and reverberate in our minds! Everything we see was framed by God’s word, and when we look upon it, we will always see His “everlasting power and divine nature in the things that are made.” (Rom. 1:20). This is what David saw, and it is what we must see if we want to be like him. The feelings that ought to be created and the conclusions we should be drawing are clearly expressed in the song: “How Great Thou Art.”
Can our hearts make melody with these feelings? Have we educated our minds to use our senses to soar with the feelings of “HOW GREAT THOU ART”!!! If we truly feel these emotions because of what we see all around us every day, then we already know the confidence they inspire. With such power and wisdom, God can intervene in this creation any way He desires. David knew this, and so did all the others who, placed in similar circumstances, stood strong as he did. “It is He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom; And by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens.” (Jer. 10:12). If we can’t see His power and wisdom in all that is on earth and in all that happens in this world, we are blind to the most important purpose the creation holds for us. If we can’t see the depths of His understanding in the heavens, we will never understand David and how he could stand before Goliath.
God “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Eph. 3:20). But what does this verse mean without the foundation of the everlasting power seen in the things that are made? The full expanse of “all that we ask or think” is based on the awe and amazement of His “everlasting power and divine nature” witnessed and experienced in the things that are made. Without that foundation, this verse becomes hollow and its words meaningless. We can read them, but they will never resonate. If we walk through life blind to the power of God exhibited all around us, what can we draw from it if we are ever placed in a situation like David? We have to learn to listen, to see, and as importantly to make application. The words of “This is my Father’s world,” express this far better than I can:
If God is not “speaking to us everywhere,” because our listening ears can’t hear “the music of the spheres” as God clearly revealed in Hebrews, where else can we find this confidence? If He doesn’t shine in all that’s fair and we can’t see His hands in all the wonders wrought, as the basis of “His everlasting power and Divine Nature,” what can we use as the foundation of our faith in all the signs and wonders revealed in Scripture?
Every mighty work revealed in Scripture is founded on God’s power that has already been revealed in the material creation. If we can’t see His everlasting power in the things that are made, how are we to believe with confidence and assurance that He can intervene and change its basic fabric and framework in any way He might choose?
With all this in mind, what could be too hard for the Lord? What could we imagine that the Lord could not do? The truth is that God can do “exceedingly, abundantly above all that we can ask or think” and the more we can ask and think, the greater that power will hold in the decisions we make and the prayers we offer. Everything God has created He can modify or change in any way we could ask, think, or imagine. Those who do not see His creative power in the things that are made will have just as much difficulty with all His divine interventions. As Israel did with Goliath, such people today will sit on the sidelines and watch those with faith like David and with full confidence in “God’s everlasting power and Divine nature” do the difficult things that must be done.
This is the true attitude Paul sought to give us! When we feel exactly as the two songs affirm, then our thinking is ever expanding and we can think big. The higher we can “think,” the greater the confidence we will have. If David had not already seen that God was able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, he could not have found the courage to stand before Goliath.
All the divine interventions recorded in the Scriptures simply enhance and expand the “everlasting power and Divine Nature” revealed in this creation. As we read the account of Noah and the flood, the tower of Babel and creation of languages, the overthrow of Sodom in fire and brimstone, and the birth of Isaac to a woman unable to conceive, we are simply expanding our understanding of what we can ask or think according to the power that works in us. As we continue reading about the ten plagues, the Red Sea crossing, and amazing power displayed on Sinai, it enlarges further. Each new event creates an ever-widening vista of what we can ask or think. These are the things that inspire the hearts of all who will ultimately become a victor.
Conclusion. The power that is working in us is great or small depending upon what “we can ask or think.” For David and all who are like him it is always greater than whatever need we face. God is infinite in power and wisdom and there is nothing He cannot do. This is the truth, but without faith in our own heart, that truth will sit idle just as electricity did for thousands of years. Our confidence in prayer and providence is enhanced or severely impacted by how we see the material creation.
- “O Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder, Consider all the worlds, Thy hands have made, I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed. When through the woods, and forest glades I wander, And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees. When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur, And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze. Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee, How great Thou art, how great Thou art.”
Can our hearts make melody with these feelings? Have we educated our minds to use our senses to soar with the feelings of “HOW GREAT THOU ART”!!! If we truly feel these emotions because of what we see all around us every day, then we already know the confidence they inspire. With such power and wisdom, God can intervene in this creation any way He desires. David knew this, and so did all the others who, placed in similar circumstances, stood strong as he did. “It is He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom; And by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens.” (Jer. 10:12). If we can’t see His power and wisdom in all that is on earth and in all that happens in this world, we are blind to the most important purpose the creation holds for us. If we can’t see the depths of His understanding in the heavens, we will never understand David and how he could stand before Goliath.
God “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Eph. 3:20). But what does this verse mean without the foundation of the everlasting power seen in the things that are made? The full expanse of “all that we ask or think” is based on the awe and amazement of His “everlasting power and divine nature” witnessed and experienced in the things that are made. Without that foundation, this verse becomes hollow and its words meaningless. We can read them, but they will never resonate. If we walk through life blind to the power of God exhibited all around us, what can we draw from it if we are ever placed in a situation like David? We have to learn to listen, to see, and as importantly to make application. The words of “This is my Father’s world,” express this far better than I can:
- “This is my Father’s world, And to my listening ears, All nature sings and round me rings, The music of the spheres. This is my Father’s world, I rest me in the thought, Of rocks and trees, Of skies and seas, His hands the wonders wrought. This is my Father’s world, The birds their carols raise, The morning light, the lily white, Declare their Maker’s praise. This is my Father’s world, He shines in all that’s fair, In the rustling grass I hear Him pass, He speaks to me everywhere.”
If God is not “speaking to us everywhere,” because our listening ears can’t hear “the music of the spheres” as God clearly revealed in Hebrews, where else can we find this confidence? If He doesn’t shine in all that’s fair and we can’t see His hands in all the wonders wrought, as the basis of “His everlasting power and Divine Nature,” what can we use as the foundation of our faith in all the signs and wonders revealed in Scripture?
Every mighty work revealed in Scripture is founded on God’s power that has already been revealed in the material creation. If we can’t see His everlasting power in the things that are made, how are we to believe with confidence and assurance that He can intervene and change its basic fabric and framework in any way He might choose?
With all this in mind, what could be too hard for the Lord? What could we imagine that the Lord could not do? The truth is that God can do “exceedingly, abundantly above all that we can ask or think” and the more we can ask and think, the greater that power will hold in the decisions we make and the prayers we offer. Everything God has created He can modify or change in any way we could ask, think, or imagine. Those who do not see His creative power in the things that are made will have just as much difficulty with all His divine interventions. As Israel did with Goliath, such people today will sit on the sidelines and watch those with faith like David and with full confidence in “God’s everlasting power and Divine nature” do the difficult things that must be done.
This is the true attitude Paul sought to give us! When we feel exactly as the two songs affirm, then our thinking is ever expanding and we can think big. The higher we can “think,” the greater the confidence we will have. If David had not already seen that God was able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, he could not have found the courage to stand before Goliath.
All the divine interventions recorded in the Scriptures simply enhance and expand the “everlasting power and Divine Nature” revealed in this creation. As we read the account of Noah and the flood, the tower of Babel and creation of languages, the overthrow of Sodom in fire and brimstone, and the birth of Isaac to a woman unable to conceive, we are simply expanding our understanding of what we can ask or think according to the power that works in us. As we continue reading about the ten plagues, the Red Sea crossing, and amazing power displayed on Sinai, it enlarges further. Each new event creates an ever-widening vista of what we can ask or think. These are the things that inspire the hearts of all who will ultimately become a victor.
Conclusion. The power that is working in us is great or small depending upon what “we can ask or think.” For David and all who are like him it is always greater than whatever need we face. God is infinite in power and wisdom and there is nothing He cannot do. This is the truth, but without faith in our own heart, that truth will sit idle just as electricity did for thousands of years. Our confidence in prayer and providence is enhanced or severely impacted by how we see the material creation.
- “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, And You are exalted as head over all. 12 Both riches and honor come from You, And You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to make great And to give strength to all.” (1Chr. 29:11-12)