Introduction. When the 12 spies returned, 10 were convinced they could never take the land of Canaan. They quickly discouraged the people with their doubts and kindled the wrath of God upon themselves. Joshua and Caleb were different. Although they saw exactly the same things as the others, they saw them through the lens of God’s “eternal power and Godhead:” “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead.” (Rom. 1:20). Just living in this creation builds a deep faith and reliance in the hearts of those servants of God who rose above and did great things. “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge.” (Ps. 19:1-2).
The material creation is the parable that leads to faith in God’s eternal power. But we have to see it in this light and carefully hear the words that are spoken and the knowledge it will bring. Because the rest of Israel could not hear this speech or discern the parable, not even the miracles they witnessed helped them. Many years later, David rose above everyone else to stand before Goliath because he understood the parable and saw everything in this life through the lens of the power of God to intervene and work in his life. (1Sam. 17:34-37).
The material creation is the parable that leads to faith in God’s eternal power. But we have to see it in this light and carefully hear the words that are spoken and the knowledge it will bring. Because the rest of Israel could not hear this speech or discern the parable, not even the miracles they witnessed helped them. Many years later, David rose above everyone else to stand before Goliath because he understood the parable and saw everything in this life through the lens of the power of God to intervene and work in his life. (1Sam. 17:34-37).
Everyone is given the opportunity to witness this day by day. Some hear the speech of God’s “eternal power and Godhead” and others ignore it. It is so loud that ALL are “without excuse.” If they can’t hear and understand its symphony, it is because they are not listening. The more we learn of His creation the deeper this conviction and commitment becomes. This source of strength and conviction is just as powerful and perfectly strengthens “the faith that comes from hearing the word of God.”
The power in the sun energizing seasons, weather, vegetation and all life is a fundamental parable of God’s eternal power. Through the things that are made, we see God, just beyond the veil of our sight, but clearly seen energizing and activating everything. God alone is the first cause: “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.” (Rom. 11:36). Every amazing act of power and intricacy in this creation are just tiny examples of our God who “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” (Eph. 3:20).
It is this underlying conviction that makes all the amazing interventions we read in the Scriptures so obvious, expected, and believable. What can’t God do is the conclusion we should draw after we read what God did on each day of creation! The rainbow, the flood, the birth of Isaac, the virgin birth, the ten plagues are easily believable because they are only an extension of what God did in the beginning, seamlessly adding more to what we already knew He could do. When God stopped the sun for Joshua, cleansed Naaman’s leprosy, kept the fiery furnace from harming Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego, and the lions from harming Daniel, we don’t see anything unusual, unexpected, or impossible. It is all part of the symphony of God’s power we hear day by day, all day and every day!
All of Jesus’ miracles and even the resurrection itself fit perfectly into the framework of what we understand and see each day. There isn’t anything in the gospel that stretches our credibility or leads us to doubt. For each day as we look at the sun, moon and stars, the rainbow and the birth of each child, we see Him just beyond the veil of sight. No one had to teach us this, we just knew. We can be taught out of it, but it is there in each man and woman, and no excuse we might be crafting or trusting will avail when we stand before Him in judgment. There is no excuse! No one can talk us out of our convictions and commitment to Him when we see these things clearly.
This is the foundation upon which the power of God can work in our heart. As Peter was sinking into the water, this was the very rebuke Jesus gave to him. “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Mt. 14:31)? It is also the basis of the great praise given to Abraham leading God counting this quality of faith as righteousness. Abraham knew he and Sarah were too old to have a son. He also knew it was foolish to continue to hope. Yet because God was the one who promised, nothing else mattered. All the reasons making it impossible had no impact on what he saw. “He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore ‘it was accounted to him for righteousness.’” (Rom. 4:19-22). Sarah, however, was given the same rebuke Jesus gave to Peter when she laughed: “And the Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.’” (Gen. 18:13-14).
What about us? Do our attitudes more closely mirror Peter and Sarah, or Abraham? When speaking of the power of God as it is revealed in the Scriptures, we can’t go any further without laying this foundation, being certain we are all aware of it, and convinced that our own faith is laid upon its foundation. All that the Scriptures reveal about the power of God working in our lives is based on this initial conviction and unwavering understanding that God can and already has done everything and anything He needed and wanted to do. When we understand this regardless of the circumstances we are facing, we know God can fix, solve, or intervene. We are never alone, and as Paul, we can always believe “we are more than conquerors.” Only when we take our eyes off these truths will God’s power no longer have any meaning to us. If that happens, we will fall just as Israel did in the wilderness.
This is exactly what happened to Job. His initial response to all his losses mirrored Abraham. “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21). It is never a lack of God’s power, that brings tragedy, but only an exhibition of God’s will, or time and chance that He allowed it. Only when God is convinced that we can handle the loss without wavering will He allow it. “God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” (1Cor. 10:13).
The coming of the three friends led to Job losing sight of this and when he began to doubt God’s power and love, he wavered. He too received the same rebuke as Peter and Sarah. As God opened Job’s eyes, what did He use? Beginning in chapter 38, God went back to the creation and just like a parable, began reciting the things He had done. Step by step, God reminded Job of His “eternal power and Godhead.” Nothing else. Yet this reminder was more than enough to bring Job back to faith and conviction. After being reminded of God’s power, he confessed his folly, repented, and was thoroughly disgusted (abhorred) with himself because he had lost sight of it. “I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. You asked, 'Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes." (Job 42:6).
It is vital that we do not close the door upon, or in any way ignore this foundation. God’s power is everywhere. There is no evolution or big bang. If we allow that thinking to corrupt our mind, our moorings will be cut and we will be forever adrift, just like Israel in the wilderness, Peter walking upon the water, or Job in the midst of his trials. Thus, one of the greatest and most important things we can do day by day is allow the symphony of the creation to remind us of “His eternal power and Godhead.” Listening to this speech as it is uttered brings us to a faith and conviction that matches Abraham, Joshua and Caleb, and Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego.
Conclusion. If we take our eyes off of these things or allow foolish opinions and thoughts contrary to them to fester in our minds, doubt will grow and we will fall. As we read the stirring accounts of God’s intervention in the lives of His people, their awe inspiring and faith building power will be lost to us. Soon, the power of God unto salvation, the power of prayer, the power of His promises and even the eternal power and Godhead of our Creator and Father will no longer move us to faith, confidence and joy. Let us all carefully consider the great parable of the material creation to teach us hidden mysteries of God’s eternal power and Godhead.
The power in the sun energizing seasons, weather, vegetation and all life is a fundamental parable of God’s eternal power. Through the things that are made, we see God, just beyond the veil of our sight, but clearly seen energizing and activating everything. God alone is the first cause: “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.” (Rom. 11:36). Every amazing act of power and intricacy in this creation are just tiny examples of our God who “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” (Eph. 3:20).
It is this underlying conviction that makes all the amazing interventions we read in the Scriptures so obvious, expected, and believable. What can’t God do is the conclusion we should draw after we read what God did on each day of creation! The rainbow, the flood, the birth of Isaac, the virgin birth, the ten plagues are easily believable because they are only an extension of what God did in the beginning, seamlessly adding more to what we already knew He could do. When God stopped the sun for Joshua, cleansed Naaman’s leprosy, kept the fiery furnace from harming Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego, and the lions from harming Daniel, we don’t see anything unusual, unexpected, or impossible. It is all part of the symphony of God’s power we hear day by day, all day and every day!
All of Jesus’ miracles and even the resurrection itself fit perfectly into the framework of what we understand and see each day. There isn’t anything in the gospel that stretches our credibility or leads us to doubt. For each day as we look at the sun, moon and stars, the rainbow and the birth of each child, we see Him just beyond the veil of sight. No one had to teach us this, we just knew. We can be taught out of it, but it is there in each man and woman, and no excuse we might be crafting or trusting will avail when we stand before Him in judgment. There is no excuse! No one can talk us out of our convictions and commitment to Him when we see these things clearly.
This is the foundation upon which the power of God can work in our heart. As Peter was sinking into the water, this was the very rebuke Jesus gave to him. “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Mt. 14:31)? It is also the basis of the great praise given to Abraham leading God counting this quality of faith as righteousness. Abraham knew he and Sarah were too old to have a son. He also knew it was foolish to continue to hope. Yet because God was the one who promised, nothing else mattered. All the reasons making it impossible had no impact on what he saw. “He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore ‘it was accounted to him for righteousness.’” (Rom. 4:19-22). Sarah, however, was given the same rebuke Jesus gave to Peter when she laughed: “And the Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.’” (Gen. 18:13-14).
What about us? Do our attitudes more closely mirror Peter and Sarah, or Abraham? When speaking of the power of God as it is revealed in the Scriptures, we can’t go any further without laying this foundation, being certain we are all aware of it, and convinced that our own faith is laid upon its foundation. All that the Scriptures reveal about the power of God working in our lives is based on this initial conviction and unwavering understanding that God can and already has done everything and anything He needed and wanted to do. When we understand this regardless of the circumstances we are facing, we know God can fix, solve, or intervene. We are never alone, and as Paul, we can always believe “we are more than conquerors.” Only when we take our eyes off these truths will God’s power no longer have any meaning to us. If that happens, we will fall just as Israel did in the wilderness.
This is exactly what happened to Job. His initial response to all his losses mirrored Abraham. “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21). It is never a lack of God’s power, that brings tragedy, but only an exhibition of God’s will, or time and chance that He allowed it. Only when God is convinced that we can handle the loss without wavering will He allow it. “God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” (1Cor. 10:13).
The coming of the three friends led to Job losing sight of this and when he began to doubt God’s power and love, he wavered. He too received the same rebuke as Peter and Sarah. As God opened Job’s eyes, what did He use? Beginning in chapter 38, God went back to the creation and just like a parable, began reciting the things He had done. Step by step, God reminded Job of His “eternal power and Godhead.” Nothing else. Yet this reminder was more than enough to bring Job back to faith and conviction. After being reminded of God’s power, he confessed his folly, repented, and was thoroughly disgusted (abhorred) with himself because he had lost sight of it. “I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. You asked, 'Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes." (Job 42:6).
It is vital that we do not close the door upon, or in any way ignore this foundation. God’s power is everywhere. There is no evolution or big bang. If we allow that thinking to corrupt our mind, our moorings will be cut and we will be forever adrift, just like Israel in the wilderness, Peter walking upon the water, or Job in the midst of his trials. Thus, one of the greatest and most important things we can do day by day is allow the symphony of the creation to remind us of “His eternal power and Godhead.” Listening to this speech as it is uttered brings us to a faith and conviction that matches Abraham, Joshua and Caleb, and Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego.
Conclusion. If we take our eyes off of these things or allow foolish opinions and thoughts contrary to them to fester in our minds, doubt will grow and we will fall. As we read the stirring accounts of God’s intervention in the lives of His people, their awe inspiring and faith building power will be lost to us. Soon, the power of God unto salvation, the power of prayer, the power of His promises and even the eternal power and Godhead of our Creator and Father will no longer move us to faith, confidence and joy. Let us all carefully consider the great parable of the material creation to teach us hidden mysteries of God’s eternal power and Godhead.