Real Power
“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.”
– Hebrews 1:3a
What is power? I mean, real power. Some people might think it is a 1,200 horsepower engine racing towards the finish line. Others might think it is an electromagnetic rail gun that shoots projectiles up to 5,000mph with a distance of over 100 miles. Still others might think that real power is a volcanic eruption which can produce over 1,600 times the amount of thermal energy of an atomic bomb. When we think about power, we tend to think about things that are fast, strong, or destructive. When we think about power as it relates to God, we think about how much He holds together.
In Hebrews 1:3, the author is describing Jesus and comparing Him with God. Jesus is not just another guy who did good things from time to time. He is not just another prophet. Instead He is the perfect reflection of God’s glory and an exact copy of God’s nature. They are one and the same. Jesus, who is God, holds the whole universe in His hands. I am sure that you have heard the phrase “herding cats” and how it means that something is either extremely difficult to do or practically impossible. If you think herding cats is tough, try herding the universe and keeping everything together. Now, that would be difficult, but not for Jesus. He spoke the universe and all that is in it into being. I have built several things in my life, but never just by using my words. I always had to use my hands and it took time. With Jesus, He spoke and His creation obeyed immediately.
We need to remember how powerful God is when we worship Him. We need to realize that the God we serve is not a wimpy, weak god; He is the one and only true God. He made everything in this universe just by using His words and He continues to keep everything together today. What could be more powerful than that? Sure, He is our Friend, Advocate, and Father, but we are absolutely insignificant when compared to Him. Not only that, but imagine someone so powerful who was willing to die such an embarrassing and tortuous death just because He loves us so much and desires to have a relationship with us. That was a major sacrifice. Sometimes we do not really think about what Jesus sacrificed in order to save us from our sin. Never forget that God, who is holding everything together, willingly died so that we might be able to spend an eternity with Him. That thought still amazes me.
The next time you take a walk at night or the next time you take a hike up in the mountains, take a moment to look around and see what God has done and what He continues to do. Realize that no person or thing is even close to being as strong as God. He is all-powerful. And the next time someone asks you about what is power, do not hesitate to say that God is more powerful than anything we could possibly imagine.
– Pastor David Guenin