The Exceeding Greatness of God’s Power

THE EXCEEDING GREATNESS OF GOD’S POWER

” What is the exceeding greatness of His
power to us-ward who believe. ” – Eph. i. 19.

COME, my heart, satisfy and delight thyself, this morning, with the thought of what thy mighty God can do for thee — the grace. He is able to give thee now, the glory He is reserving for thee, the uplifting, upholding, strengthening, and preserving power which is all vested in His loving hands on thy behalf. Here is a storehouse of riches on which thy largest demands can make no perceptible diminishment, and all this is thine! 

     “Exceeding greatness.” Yea, Lord, more vast and wonderful than my poor finite mind can conceive. Thy power bids the sun pour forth his radiant light and heat, – Thy power holds the stars in space, and hangs the earth upon nothing, Thy power rules the universe with a word! Is it not exceeding great ? All nature shows Thy handiwork, and Thy wondrous power is as much seen in the lowest forms of life and growth as in the higher developments of Thy creative hand. All the discoveries of science, all the revelations of its secrets which have of late so surprised and delighted us, are but glimpses of the infinite might and wisdom of the God whose ” love is as great as His power, and neither knows measure nor end.”

     But, Lord, it is not on the majesty of Thine Omnipotence as shown in Thy material world that I would meditate at this moment ; it is, the “power to usward who believe” that enchains my heart, and thrills my soul with joy. Help me to draw nigh to Thee, dear Lord, humbly and reverently, that I may “see this great sight;” for, though this is holy ground, and the bush burns with fire, there is no barrier, as of old, to prevent a near approach to Thee, seeing that, now, we ” are made nigh by the blood of Christ.” 

     If have true faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, then the exceeding greatness of the power of the Most High God, “according to the working of His mighty power,” is to me-ward, is on my side, or – I say it with deep reverence — at my service, always at hand to help, to guard, to defend, and to provide for me. My pen pauses as I ask myself, “Do I believe this ? Do any Christians really hold this faith? Is it possible that there can be among the feeble, doubting, self-engrossed, and half-hearted people that I see and hear of, any who possess the assurance that the power of the living God dwells in them, and that they can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth’ them? If there be any such, why, oh! why do they not walk worthy of the vocation wherewith they are called?”

     Look to thyself, my soul. Is the exceeding greatness of thy Lord’s power manifest in thee as it should be ? Blessed be His Name, thou canst say, ” He has redeemed me from death and hell, pardoned my sins through the shedding of His precious blood, and given me a promise of life eternal in His presence.” But what more? Those are the cardinal gifts of His grace, the corner-stones of His mercy and love. What dost thou possess of the details of His mighty working, the filling-up, as it were, of the great plan of His will and design concerning thee? What does ” the effectual working of His power “produce in thy heart and life ? Art thou wholly consecrated to His service? Hast thou given thyself and all that thou hast into His loving hands? Art thou filled with His Holy Spirit ? Does He control every thought, and word, and deed? And are all the powers of thy being and all the possessions of both soul and body subject and surrendered to His absolute sway?

     Ah, Lord! Thy poor child sorrowfully confesses to falling very far short of the high standard of Christian life to which Thy Word expects us to attain. In common with so many others, I seem to live at a ” poor dying rate ” when I might have ” life more abundantly.” I know that the possibilities of conformity to Christ are only to be measured by the exceeding riches of Thy grace, and the exceeding greatness of Thy power, and yet I sometimes seem content without a full participation in the glorious experience which Thy love offers. Lord, enlighten and quicken me, I beseech Thee! Put forth in me the mighty grace which will make my daily life a proof that Thou art working Thine own will in me, and giving me to know, at least in some measure, “what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe.”