The Lord, Mighty, and Strong

The Lord, Mighty, and Strong – Today’s Devotional – November 21, 2023

“Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: ‘Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!’ ” —Job 38:1, 4

Last night, I was scrolling through Instagram and paused to listen to the testimony of a young woman who is a new believer: “From studying the Bible, I finally have peace. When I found out that Jesus created the universe, parted the Red Sea, healed those with leprosy, opened blind eyes, and told the lame to take up their bed and walk, I said to myself, ‘Because you follow Jesus, the Superpower of the Universe. You will never worry or lose sleep over any problem that you face.’ Now I witness to my friends and encourage other believers who are feeling down by telling them, ‘You serve Jesus, He is the Superpower of this universe, pray, tell Him your problems, and believe that He will fix them.’ ” Yes, her enthusiasm for Christ was amazing!

Are you still excited about Christ, our loving and powerful Savior? We have Scriptural evidence that the Triune God can do anything and everything above and beyond our human imagination. Most of us have a history of receiving miraculous victories, still, do we possess unwavering faith in the mighty power of Christ?

In the book of Job, Jesus identifies His Omnipotence to suffering Job, and in Revelation to the apostle John, “I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hell and of Death” (Revelation 1:18).

How well do we know the Lord who is Mighty and Strong? Is our knowledge of Christ’s Omnipotence only based on gathering information from the Scriptures?

Did you know that people study the Bible for reasons other than spiritual transformation? In college, there were many atheists in my religion classes who viewed the Bible as the only reliable history book. An atheist who studies the Bible to acquire historical knowledge is not interested in learning the attributes of God’s Character or the Plan of Salvation and Redemption. Like the atheists, some Christians tend to only seek knowledge from the Scripture when it serves their own interests.

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” —Hebrews 4:12

From studying the Scriptures, we learn that human effort must cooperate with the Divine Intervention of the Holy Spirit to produce the life-long process of our spiritual transformation into the likeness of Christ—Sanctification, and to keep us on the narrow Path of Righteousness.

The surrendered believer studies the Holy Scriptures to learn God’s character and His attributes of Omnibenevolence, Omniscience, Omnipresence, and Omnipotence. We accept His commandments, and precepts that are necessary to live righteously. Our faith, trust, and obedience are the catalysts that allow us to receive the power of the Holy Spirit for spiritual growth and to maintain a faithful, steadfast relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

“The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the Lord tests hearts.” —Proverbs 17:3

The believer’s faith is constantly tested which gives us experiential knowledge of the power of Jesus who performs miracles in our lives every day. Whether we are studying the Bible for the acquisition of knowledge only or for spiritual transformation will reveal itself when our peaceful, all-is-well lives are interrupted by the hurricanes of hardships.

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” —John 16:33, NLT

When happiness and tranquility are abruptly terminated by the forceful winds of strife and we are caught off guard by a life event that impacts everyone in our family, will we immediately fall to our knees and pray for Divine Intervention? Our reaction to the unexpected trials and tribulations is determined by the existence and strength of our relationship with Christ.

Like Peter, we can demonstrate the faith to get out of the boat and walk on the water, but the distance from the boat to Jesus appeared much greater when he became distracted by the stormy winds and the crashing waves. The prayer of “Jesus, help me!” should be our first response and daily prayer when facing the unexpected turbulence of trials and sorrows.

“Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near” (Isaiah 55:6). “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3).

“We can have a history of overcoming many stormy trials, but inconsistent worship weakens even the strongest faith and confidence in Christ.” —SDJ

Facing the unknown with no foreseeable options and feeble faith causes us to develop spiritual disorientation. In the storm, we forget that the winds and waves of tribulations are under the subjection of the Master who can command them to “Be still.” When we pray for help, Christ does not guarantee that the stormy trial will cease, but He does promise us that we will receive His peace and strength to persevere until the storm ends.

With the Bible in hand, go to your secret closet and pray an honest prayer of humility, “God, my faith is weak and I’m afraid, but I trust You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.” Pray for comfort and strength from the Holy Spirit. Allow some quiet time and stay in God’s presence until you feel the peace that passes all understanding permeate your mind, body, and soul. Like Jacob, wrestle for victory, “I will not let You go until You bless me!”

When our faith is shaky from the tumultuous waves of fear and doubt, we must ask every day for the Holy Spirit to give us the strength to remain focused on Christ instead of the present storm. God knows that our human hearts are fragile and forgetful of the many times [in the past] He delivered us.

As we search the Scriptures, we will receive hope because Christ never abandons us whether we have little or abundant faith.

Scripture Reading: Genesis chapters 37-50, Joseph’s Journey

Prayer: Lord, we come to You with feeble faith. Yet, we ask for the strength and peace that You promise to those who seek You. Jesus, we ask You to calm our inner storm and to bring resolution to our stormy tribulations. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

© 2023 Steps to Spiritual Solutions and Woman, You Are Loved by God Ministries.