Over the last few weeks, God has revealed some things to me about His Power and His Love that I am beginning to piece together.
Most of this revelation has come from the testimony of this healthy pregnancy that I'm experiencing. As any woman who has ever gone through child bearing knows, the last month of a pregnancy can get difficult - aches and pains seem to come more easily - it's difficult to sleep, difficult to get comfortable, and, as a result, easy to begin feeling sorry for yourself, easy to get frustrated, and easy to get tired and miserable and ready to deliver the baby.
Well, I will be honest, I've had days and nights where I've experienced those aches and pains, lack of comfort, and lack of sleep...I've had many chances to drown myself in the negativity of how terrible it is to carry around this extra weight and to focus on the strain put on my body. But - God has shown me that I have the ability to handle these last few weeks of pregnancy completely different. He has shown me that I can experience this special time in my life with JOY. Yes, JOY! I've thought to myself - how can I enjoy back aches, swelling feet, no sleep - but, God's response, "Ask me....in Jesus' powerful name, ask me to ease those symptoms." The flesh in me has thought, "Well, I'm suppose to experience this kind of discomfort here at the end of pregnancy so praying will do no good." But, oh flesh, get out of the way and let God work!!! God has shown me differently through His Word and Spirit. Romans 8:31-32 says, "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?" After reading this scripture, I thought - "freely give us all things??" That would mean - if I ask Him, He will give me a comfortable end to my pregnancy. Wow! So...that's what I've done....with each sign of aches, pains, or a sleepless night, I've prayed...."Oh God, in the name of Jesus, I ask that you keep me comfortable, take away these aches and pains, and give me rest up to the day that Kate is to arrive." You know what??? The aches and pains and discomfort fade...it's totally amazing and I am so thankful that through Jesus and his sacrifices, I have access to the power of a loving God who can do ALL THINGS!
Speaking of God's power - last week at church, we talked about the awesome power of God and why so many people do not experience this power. We know that God loves us - He loves so much that He sent his only Son to die for us so that our relationship with Him could be reconciled - so, if God loves all of His children, why do we not see His power manifested in our lives? The answer lies within us...you see, the God we serve is not a forceful, coercive God. He reaches out His loving, powerful hand and in order for us to access this power, we must reach back. Faith takes action from us! God CAN do and WILL do all things in His will.
Our pastor used an analogy of a light switch and it really hit home for me. Think about this....electricity is power....we can be sitting in a house with electricity and even though we KNOW the house has electricity, we can sit in a dark room for as long as we want OR we can move ourselves to the light switch and turn on the light. As soon as we hit the switch, the power manifests, and we have light. The potential for the power was there all along; however, until we took the initiative and the steps to go to the switch, we weren't experiencing the power. Accessing God's power is the same - God wants to show Himself strong in our Nation, in our households, and in our individual lives but so many people turn to other worldly "sources of power" instead of walking to God's light switch and turning on HIS power. So, how do we do that? We access God's power through His Spirit and His Word. We read God's Word, learn His Will, build our armor of truth by putting God's Word in us and then we spend time with God through His Spirit - get to know Him, His Will, His desires for us - we build our trust in God's power through His Word, through Jesus and what Jesus did for us, and through the power of the Holy Spirit and the revelation He brings us. Then, we hit the switch and watch God's power manifest.
When I look back at my life, there were many times where I felt like I was sitting in a dark room - I remember wondering where God was...I remember thinking...why doesn't He do this or that? When I reflect on why I wasn't experiencing His power, I think about what I was putting my focus on - at that time, I wasn't diligently seeking God's Word ( or spending time reading the Bible) and I wasn't spending quality time with Him through His Spirit. I was trying to figure everything out on my own and then nonchalantly asking God to do what I thought He should do. My faith had no foundation.
Since last December (which was a special time in my relationship with Jesus because He baptized me in the Holy Spirit), my ability to see and experience God's power has grown. I still have A LOT of growing to do but I've grown to love my relationship with Jesus and the Father so much that I crave putting the Word in me...I crave spending time with them and as a result, I notice God's power all the time - not just in the big momentous points in my life - and not just in situations that appear negative - I notice His power in small, everyday things...like the joy I've experienced during this pregnancy and the times that I will walk down the hall and feel His presence all of a sudden surround me (just because He wanted me to know He loved me). Why am I so privileged? What did I do to deserve this relationship with such a powerful God? I did nothing - Jesus did it ALL! He paid the price to bring us back into a relationship with God, the Father. He did it for ME and for YOU!
So...if you are sitting in a dark room in your life right now, the potential (the light switch) is just a few steps away - you have access to a powerful, loving God who is reaching out - go hit the switch - accept His Son Jesus as your personal savior - then spend time with Him in His Word and in His Spirit - and as a result, watch His Power manifest in your life.
"For the eyes of the Lord roam throughout the earth to show Himself strong for those whose hearts are completely His." 2 Chronicles 16:9
Toddy
