Power Thoughts ~ Part 2

This is a picture my father in law took a couple of weekends ago at the shuttle launch.

Can you begin to fathom the amount of explosive power it takes to launch a shuttle? Chad has been to a launch before and I've heard he and his dad talk about the ground shaking and the feeling you get in the pit of your stomach just waiting for it to take off! It really is an amazing sight to behold.

As powerful and impressive as a shuttle launch is, our God is more powerful.

Jer.32:17-18 says “Ah sovereign Lord you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm……NOTHING IS TOO HARD FOR YOU.”

I shared earlier in the week about the power of God's voice, but today as I read the verse above I see another concept. Verse 17 told us that God made the heavens and the earth by his great power and outstretched arm.

An outstretched arm indicates to me that there is a touch involved. This takes me to the second concept of power that God impressed on my heart this week.

The power of God’s touch.

When I typed in “power” in my Bible study tools several passages came up, but for whatever reason I read Mark 1:7 first. It is John the Baptist saying “After me will come one more powerful than I.” I read it again and wondered about that first meeting between Jesus and John. Then it hit me…


The first time John encountered Jesus was way before Jesus was baptized. It was when Mary, young and pregnant with Jesus, went to visit Elizabeth who was a little older and pregnant with John the Baptist.

Do you remember what happened? John kicked, jumped, MOVED in Elizabeth’s womb at the presence of Jesus, who was in Mary’s womb. Even in the womb the power of The Word made flesh, was alive and active!

I mentioned the story of Jarius earlier in the week. (Mark 5) On the way to his home, Jesus stopped when He felt power leave his body. It’s the story of the woman with the blood issue. I’m sure we’ve all heard this particular encounter several times, but I read it with fresh eyes this time.

This woman had suffered with her disease/affliction for years. I’m sure she was exhausted. BUT, she knew that if she could touch his clothes, she would be healed. First of all, what faith! She didn’t want Jesus to make a “big deal” she knew that just a touch would be enough. So she made her way through the crowd touched his clothes, and was healed.

The word for power in this passage is “dudamus”, a modern derivative of this word is dynamite. Explosive power girls! The type of power, or kick start, that shuttle pictured above needed to get off of the ground!

I’ve been amazed this week as I thought about God being All Powerful. I’ve thought about creation and the power of the spoken word. I’ve thought about the touch of Jesus and how powerful that was and is,but here is the thing that has changed me. As powerful as He is, He lives in me. His Holy Spirit is alive and living in me.

God convicted me heart this week that I am walking a fine line of disrespect in that I do not, in every situation, acknowledge that He is All Powerful.

So my challenge this week was to acknowledge that HE is POWERFUL enough to save my lost family.

He is powerful enough to sustain us and so many of our friends in this economy.

He is powerful enough to………………(fill in the blank)

He is ALL POWERFUL. Nothing is too hard for Him.