POWER

Power is represented by a picture of the sun. We can’t touch the sun but we feel it. Sunlight is required for healthy plant growth. It provides energy vital for photosynthesis, and new plants instinctively grow towards the sunlight, ensuring the maximum amount of light exposure is received. We are aware of the sun’s presence. We feel the warmth as it heats the cement on a hot summer day. We recognize its absence on a cold, wintry night that chills to the bone. In the same way, we can’t physically touch God’s Power or hold it in our hands, but we can feel it. We are aware of His Presence in our lives—accomplishing things we could never accomplish on our own, orchestrating circumstances and situations beyond our ability. He makes sense of our uniqueness, our gifts, strengths, and weaknesses. He takes the pieces we bring, broken and beautiful, and fashions a mosaic, masterfully crafted for the glory of God and the good of others. His Power imbues our passion, perspective, purity, and purpose with meaning.    

In our culture, power can be a loaded word, launching off in the direction of any number of polarizing topics. We daily read of abuse and misuse of power. Character flaws are exposed and revealed under the weight of power. And we have all heard the proverbial saying, “Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.” But is there another way? Can power be wielded and authority embraced with integrity and grace? I believe so.

Unlike the flawed human ideals of power, God’s Power is different. It is not a power of position, resource, or physical brute strength. It is actually an antidote to all of these. The Power of God leads us to intentional inconvenience. It is strength under control that places the needs of others before its own. This is Power that inspires!