Incomparably Great Power
I mentioned in a prior post that, years ago, I traveled with a Christian drama group. We would go from church to church performing skits and short plays with Christian themes. They were often comedic and sometimes, at least at that time, within the church environment, a little edgy. I’d guess nothing we did at the time would be considered in the least bit controversial now.
There was one skit, adapted from a short story by Phillip Roth, that I remember having anxiety about. We performed this particular skit in a sort of a reader’s theatre format. No sets or props. Just vocal expression and the minimal use of some lighting. Why the anxiety? Well, first the idea of the reader’s theatre style was a bit of a concern. Would the audience get it? Would they follow the story and get the point? More than that though, this presentation required that the characters, two adolescent boys named Ozzie and Itzie, talk about intercourse, not once, but multiple times throughout the story. Intercourse! In a church sanctuary! Presented by a bunch of teenagers and young adults! Looking back, I’m thinking, “Was it really that big of a deal?”
Now, perhaps, the language and use in the church wasn’t as big a deal as I thought it was. Maybe, being pretty young at the time, I was just being a little paranoid. Still, I remember the point of that little story and its relevance. The story, “The Conversion of the Jews”, centered around a Jewish boy named Ozzie. This young man’s faith is being challenged as he asks his Rabbi at his Jewish school a simple question: “If God could create the heaven and earth … and make all the animals and the fish and the light in six days … and He could pick the six days he wanted right out of nowhere, why couldn’t He let a woman have a baby without having intercourse?” Obviously, a question that might cause some controversy in the backdrop of a Jewish school.
The short story is intended to ask a big question in a humorous way. The big question, while important, isn’t complicated. Simply, if God created the universe, is anything outside of His power? As Jeremiah the prophet 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” (Jer 32:17).
It is obvious that everyone doesn’t believe that there is a God and that He created the world. While, for believers, it is easy to see that God has given us plenty of indicators that lead to Him (see Rom 1:19-20, Psa 19:1), others simply dismiss these signs. Still, our faith should not be considered a blind faith. We do not have to ignore our intellect to be believers. In fact, a growing number of scientists are willing to say, “We are skeptical of claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life.” (1) Even if this claim may put their careers in jeopardy.
However, arguing for the reality of creative design is not the most important point of this post. For those of us who believe in a Creator God, the point is this: If God created the world, why do we doubt His ability to do anything else? God created all things and set into place the physical laws that we cannot break. But He can. God is not bound by what He created. God can work outside what is established as normal, or possible, in our day-to-day physical and natural framework. He can perform the supernatural, miracles, without limit.
Pick a miracle! We read of so many in the scripture. The Red Sea parted. The sun stands still. The storm is calmed. Five thousand fed. The blind and lame healed. People raised from the dead. The virgin birth. The Resurrection! God did it all! Still, some days, many days perhaps, we lose sight of His great power. Don’t we? We worry. We doubt. But why? Don’t we know that “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31).
Paul, writing to the believers in Ephesus, reminds us to open our eyes to what God has given us and to His great power in our lives. He prays for the Ephesians writing, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe…” (Eph 1:18-19).
We, above all others, have hope because of what God has done for us. We have an inheritance “that can never perish, spoil or fade” (1 Pet 1:4). And we have power. “Incomparably great power.” Let’s live every day remembering we serve a great God. Our God who can do anything!
Dave Foucar has a passion for teaching God’s word. His first book, “What Do I Say When Asked About Jesus?” provides a layman’s perspective on personal evangelism and the basics of the Christian faith. Dave has been married for thirty-six years to the love of his life, Debbie. They have three daughters, two sons-in-law, and two granddaughters. Follow Dave on Substack.
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