As the grand finale of the semester, our philosophy professor set out to use his skills to ‘prove’ that God is not real. He listed all the ‘attributes’ of God that makes ‘God’ God – He’s loving, good, powerful – then spoke his logic in such a way that it almost sounded like truths:
Example 1: Define: God is good.
A good ‘God’ wouldn’t let us suffer.
There is much suffering.
Therefore, He can’t be good – or God.
Example 2: Define: God is all-powerful.
An all-powerful ‘God’ would use His power to right all the wrongs.
There is much wrong in our world.
Therefore, He can’t be all-powerful – or God.*
One by one, he used his science of reasoning to disprove my God. I sat there helplessly watching it unfold, class after class, realizing I didn’t have any rationales that stood up to his. Maybe this professor meant this exercise to be a lesson in logic, but all it proved to me was that I didn’t know God well enough to articulate why He is God.
And a fire was lit.
Doubt
What I recognize now that I didn’t in that university auditorium is that my professor was accurately naming the doubts many of us harbor about God at some point in our lives. And I’ve personally found that when our family faces struggle after struggle and the world continues to crumble under tyranny and greed, it’s easy to succumb to doubts about God’s power.
Dig
Looking back over the years, I can observe that when I felt the most helpless, I failed to trust that God is, truly, all-powerful. I let myself doubt that “He who is in me is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). I disbelieved the Holy Spirit power Jesus promised is actually in me (Acts 1:8).
Like the time that I got the dreaded call from the school – my son had been arrested.
The life I’d envisioned for him shattered in a single moment. Thoughts of his golden future faded as images of orange jumpsuits and iron shackles filled my head. College seemed unlikely and law school impossible. My mind reeled with one hopeless scenario after another. Shame enveloped me as I realized people would know… And fear took hold as I gave-in to its seductive beckoning to ‘what if’ myself to death.
But, as my friends came out of the restaurant to find me weeping on the sidewalk, phone still in hand, they lovingly heard my story and wrapped me in their arms. Their prayers for God’s power to come upon me and our situation were heard and received – because I recognized that while I felt powerless, God has all the power.
Dig Deeper
There’s a scene in the Marvel move, Thor Ragnarok, where a nearly defeated Thor faces his mortal enemy without hope of having the power to overcome her. Then the scene shifts – and Thor is talking with his father, who speaks truth to Thor about his power and its source.1 The power Thor has access to doesn’t come from himself. Or even his hammer. It comes from something greater than him. When the scene shifts back to his struggle with his enemy, his eyes pop open, glowing with power – and lightning bolts fly.
So often we can be like Thor and miss the kind of strength God extends to us, His children. We don’t realize the actual power of God!
His glory covered the heavens
Habakkuk 3:3b-4 NIV
and his praise filled the earth.
His splendor was like the sunrise;
rays flashed from his hand,
where his power was hidden.
When a friend, knowing my word of the year is ‘hidden’, shared these verses about the Messiah with me, this Thor scene came flooding to mind!
The NLT describes “rays of light flash from his hands, where his awesome power is hidden.” And the Message really spices it up, “His cloud-brightness like dawn, exploding, spreading, forked-lightning shooting from his hand—what power hidden in that fist!”
Y’all, God. Has. Power. ALL the power!
And, Paul makes it abundantly clear who else has the lightning-like power:
“I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.”
Ephesians 1:19-20 NLT, emphasis mine
Discovery
Let’s go back to the Habakkuk verse about the “power hidden” in God’s fist (3:4). The Hebrew word for ‘hidden’ in this verse is used once in all of Scripture – right here in our fist-of-lightning scene. God’s hand is the hiding place of His power.
We can scour ancient artwork and texts to find that for as long as humanity has kept records, the ‘right hand’ has always stood for power, authority, and strength. So, as we read through Scripture, it makes sense that God would present His power as coming from His hand, and more specifically, His right hand (Exodus 15:6; Isaiah 41:10, 48:13; Psalm 74:11, 89:13). It’s what His people, who lived in the Ancient Near East, would have understood. God has power and authority – just look at that fist!
The more we read and learn about the power of God’s hand, however, we recognize that biblical writers use the idea of the ‘right hand’ to represent God’s omnipotence. God’s power may not literally emanate from his right hand, but that particular appendage indicates that God has all the power. Not just some. But the absolute all-power, above all other power:
- to speak the entire universe into existence (Genesis 1; Jeremiah 32:17; Psalm 29:4-5; Romans 1:20; Colossians 1:6).
- to protect and deliver (2 Chronicles 20:6; Psalm 28:7, 18:2, 91:4; 1 Corinthians 1:18)
- to provide (Psalm 145:15-16; Philippians 4:19;
- to give life (1 Corinthians 6:14; Colossians 2:12)
- to strengthen (Isaiah 40:29-31; Colossians 1:11; Ephesians 3:16)
- to heal (Luke 6:19; Acts 6:8, 10:38)
- to forgive (Matthew 9:6; 1 John 1:9; James 5:16)
- to free (Isaiah 61:1; Psalm 79:11)
- to overcome (1 Chronicles 29:11; 2 Corinthians 13:4;
- to save (Exodus 15:2; John 1:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:5)
‘God’s right hand’ refers to His omnipotence and to Messiah Himself – His position and His person.2
“The Lord says to my lord:
Psalm 110:1
‘Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet.’”
Psalm 110:1 is the most quoted verse in the New Testament because it attests to the fact that Messiah would be placed at God’s right hand – that He functions as God’s right hand.3 Every reference to Jesus sitting at God’s right hand lets us know to whom the power and authority of God have been given.2
“The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.”
Hebrews 1:3 NLT
However, it’s important not to miss that this fist-of-power in Christ, also extends to every single person who believes in God’s Son! The actual power of the Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is in us (Ephesians 1:19-20).
All the flashing, glowing, flaming lights of God’s power resides in that right hand and in Christ and in us. We may not physically shoot lightning from our eyes and hands like Thor, but that is not the point. The point is that, like Thor, we don’t even realize the kind of power we’ve been given. We’ve ceased in our belief of supernatural power that can heal and transform. We’ve let science and technology take its place and its credit. We’ve put ourselves on the sidelines waiting for someone else to swoop in and save the day.
And all the while, God is looking at us wondering why we don’t tap into His power and get busy speaking and saving, healing and helping.
Friends, our Omnipotent God, who once shook mountains and struck the actual fear of God into humanity, has not changed. He still has “all power over all things at all times and in all ways.”4 In fact, He is the source of all power!5
God is Infinite, having no limit to His person or power.** He’s absolutely Sovereign because He does everything according to His plan and controls all things.** Everything in heaven and earth is His; He is exalted over all (1 Chronicles 29:11; Psalm 138:8). And, His Son, who is His Right Hand, holds all that same lightning-like power in His fist, making Him absolutely Almighty. Jesus has taken all His great power and begun His reign (Revelation 11:17). He has always had the power; He will always have the power.
“When we speak of God’s omnipotence, we’re discussing God’s limitless power to live out His unchanging character and make good on His promises.”
Jennifer Slattery5
So, why do we doubt God’s ability to meet us in all our times of trouble? Because we forget – we forget who holds all the power. We forget that God is good and He is love – so everything He does, by His mighty right hand, will be for good and with love.5
We forget that we’ve been given power to persevere, to believe, and to be God’s right hand in the world. We forget that the Holy Spirit power Jesus promised us is as alive and real as it was on the first day He arrived on the scene (Acts 1:8, 2:1-4).
Job helps us remember that God can do all things, that no plan of His can ever be thwarted (42:2).
The Psalmist encourages us to recall that God is always with us, so we have nothing to fear – “What can mere mortals do” to us? (118:6-7).
Jesus, on His lowest, most stressful night of His life, remembers that everything is possible for God (Mark 14:36). So instead of using His power to call down legions of angels to save Him, He taps into the power of God to find strength and resolve to stay the course. With God’s power, Jesus pushes through the horrific pain because He knows our Almighty, Sovereign, Infinite God has all the power and a plan – and it is for good. Even if it means suffering for it.4
With His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus shows us what it looks like to live in and from the Source of All Power.
So, let’s take the logic of knowing who God is and add to it faith – faith to believe that God is everything the Bible says He is. Then let’s take our suffering and doubts and anger and hopelessness to the One whose hand extends toward us and open ourselves to the power of the Spirit within us. Let’s trust that it gives “us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3).
Let’s believe God has the power to do everything He has promised (Romans 4:21). Let’s live knowing we have been given “the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting [our] teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us.” (Colossians 1:11-12 MSG).
Let’s live as though we believe that our God is All-Powerful.
Father God, we believe! Forgive us for forgetting that You are Omnipotent – that You are the source and giver of all power. When we read your Story, we remember all the ways your power has come into the world in order to save it. And we allow the truths of who You are to anchor us in faith so that every time we are tempted to doubt You, we’ll remember that we are strengthened with all power according to Your glorious might! Lord Jesus, we can look at your life, death, and resurrection and see so many ways God used His power in and through You, and all of it serves as reminders that You have since passed on this power to us. Holy Spirit, keep reminding us that You are the key to God’s power in us – because the power You used to raise Jesus from the dead is offered to us so that we can live beyond what is ‘natural’. We’ve been gifted with supernatural strength to help us endure and persevere. This power equips us to help and heal, and it empowers us to do more than we can imagine. Spirit, we ask for your help to expand our experiences and expectations of what God can do in and through us – because He is able. In Jesus’ name, amen.
(Inspired by 1 John 1:9; Isaiah 40:28-31; Romans 1:16; Colossians 1:11,16; Hebrews 1:3; Matthew 28:18; 2 Corinthians 12:9; Ephesians 1:19-21,3:20; 2 Peter 1:3)
*I wish I’d kept my notes from class because I know our professor used logic equations (ie: If ‘a’ but not ‘b’ then ‘a’ can’t be true, etc) as the basis of his determinations about God. But, the examples I’ve given are close representations of how his logic worked – and, of course, he built his case based on many of God’s attributes, not just one or two. I do not in any way ascribe to his findings nor do I have any expertise in philosophy or its logical equations. Nor does philosophy ascribe to faith or Scripture as relevant to their ways of determining what is true. I do, however, believe that God gave us brains to use, so it’s good and right to think through what we believe, to understand to the best of our ability who God is and what His Word says. We aren’t expected to only and ever follow Him (nor those who claim to be His) by blind faith. As with so much of this walk with Jesus, following Him is a both/and. Both faith and knowledge. Both trust and truth.
Resources: I love sharing with you the books, podcasts, articles, and anything else that has inspired, encouraged, or taught me. These are humble offerings with no expectations.
- 1 – Yes, this movie and scene are pure fiction. Yet, I loved this scene the moment I saw it (and everytime I see it) because it resonates so deeply about the power we have access to but have yet to tap into. Here’s the clip from that Thor scene. (It’s so good.) But it does become a fight scene around the 2:10 mark, so maybe stop it there. 😉 The point of the scene has already been made by then.
2 – this Got Questions article
3 – This blog post does a nice job of extolling us in the purposes of God’s power, tracing through the New Testament all the ways God’s power is described and put to use, including Jesus as He walked the earth and all the power He poured out over people. That’s the ‘now’ of Jesus as God’s right hand. The ‘not yet’ will be when Jesus rides in at the end of days to usher in another level of power over the earth than we’ve yet to see or experience. I like this post, as well, because the author makes sure to exhort us to tap into the same power Jesus had on earth for the work of God now.
4 – another Got Questions article
5 – this Bible Study Tools article
6 — This “Jesus Plus Nothing” article about Habakkuk 3 (see the Praise section below) helps to set the stage and offer understanding of this amazing poem-prayer of praise. - I had to, for sure, share this Bible Project video on “God” because it uses so much great ‘attribute’ language, as well as a tracing of His Triune Self throughout biblical history. It’s AMAZING!
- Our Backpack of God’s Attributes is our virtual bag for collecting every characteristic of God we find in all our hunting. We’re loading up all we discover about Him. So far:
- God is Worthy — He deserves all glory and honor and praise.**
- God is Glorious — He displays His greatness and worth.**
- God is Transcendent — He is not like humans. He is infinitely higher in being and action.**
- God is Truthful — Whatever God speaks or does is truth and reality.**
- God is Incomprehensible — God is beyond our understanding. We can comprehend Him in part but not in whole.**
- God is Love — God feels and displays infinite, unconditional affection toward His children. His love for them does not depend on their worth, response, or merit.**
- God is Gracious — The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love (Psalm 145:8).
- God is Good — God is what is best and gives us what is best. He is incapable of doing harm.**
- God is Comforter — the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
- God is Deliverer — God rescues and saves His children.**
- God is Redeemer — Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine (Isaiah 43:1-2).
- God is Omnipotent — God holds all the power. Nothing is too hard for God.**
- God is Almighty — What God wills, He can accomplish.** “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him” (Colossians 1:16).
- God is Infinite — God has no limits in His person or His power.**
- God is Sovereign — “O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you” (Jeremiah 32:17).
- **many thanks to Jen Wilkin and her list, “Attributes of God,” present at the back of every study
- Our playlist, “Hidden Treasures,” has a few songs that refer to God’s power, but maybe the one that stands out to me is Elevation Worship’s “Graves Into Gardens” — because of its lyrics and the absolute power of the music. It is a faith-building song that should elicit from our hearts, minds, and souls a trust in God’s all-power.
You turn graves into gardens
You turn bones into armies
You turn season into highways
You’re the only one who can
Amen and amen! - If you want to hear just a little more about today’s topic, you can catch the “Teacup Video” on this topic on Wednesday — on my Facebook Author Page, Instagram or YouTube.
- I have a newsletter, The Abiding Life! The first week of each month I share a little more on one of the topics we’ve hit upon here in the blog. If you would like to know more about one of the traits of God’s character in July’s edition, please comment below or email me. You can subscribe for future newsletters here.
Rhythms: As my newsletter’s title infers, we seek to develop an abiding life in this space — a place where we can get informed but also be transformed as we learn to abide in God’s presence throughout our days. I like to think that developing rhythms is one way to aid us in our desire to become more Christlike.
Praise, our summer rhythm, is the speaking of truths about WHO GOD IS. It lifts our eyes off our circumstances and back onto the One who can walk us through them. And the Psalms are packed with poems that will lead us through this ritual of reflection and remembrance — until it becomes a rhythm that we fall into naturally.
- This week, let’s read Habakkuk 3 because, y’all, it’s incredible. “Chapter 3 is Habakkuk’s prayer of praise in the form of a poetic song. He had been given the vision from God concerning the end; he had heard the Lord’s response to his questions and concerns. Now he can only stand back in awe and in reverential fear of the One who will act on behalf of His people. Habakkuk’s prayer and song in this chapter is one that encompasses the past, yet stretches forth thousands of years and reveals details of the Lord’s coming in glory to defeat all His enemies at the end of the age!”6 Truly, the lightning-fist third verse only scratches the surface of Habakkuk’s way of describing the power of God — jaw-dropping truth for Habakkuk’s day while also foreshadowing both of Jesus’ final triumph. Then…then, the beautiful ending stanza where Habakkuk chooses to rejoice in God and receive His strength even if all the awful that God has told him comes to pass. So. Good.
- And while it’s not a spiritual practice or rhythm, I invite you to share this site. Summer is a great time to ask someone else to join us here — it is a shared journey of faith, for sure!
Featured Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash. “All the Bits and Pieces” photo by Zrng N Gharib on Unsplash.
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