God Speaking

“To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me”

(1 Colossians 1: 29)

Just recently one of my friends was telling me about a new church she had started to attend and as she was describing how she felt during the worship service she used this phrase to describe what she felt, Godly energy. I was intrigued by the phrase and the more I thought about it the more I was convinced that she had uncovered an amazing truth about how all of us believers need to use this power of Godly energy in our own lives, not relying on our own feeble efforts to live but to enlist his energy to spread God’s word and live his word, not becoming stale and  lifeless, powerless to achieve what he desires us to do, but to move with his energy.

When Paul is writing to the young churches, he constantly reminds them to call upon and use the incredible energy of our God to help them through whatever they might be experiencing and in his letter to the Ephesians he writes this:

“I pray also that the eyes of your hearts may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength.” (Ephesians 1:  18 – 19)

Paul never boasted about his own strength and never implied that it was something about him that achieved the amazing spreading of the gospel. Too often we can fall into that trap that somehow, we think we are making great strides because of how hard we are working at being good Christians. When we are humble there is more room in our actions for God to display his mighty power.

Sometimes, life presents huge problems in our lives and Paul talks about his struggles in the verse in Colossians, but the wisdom of calling upon and using God’s energy to overcome goes right back to the Old Testament when God speaks to his embattled people with this message.

“…Listen to what the Lord says to you. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours but God’s.” (2 Chronicles 20: 15)

The children of Israel learnt that truth repeatedly, but unfortunately also forgot over and over again as they slipped back into thinking they had it all together and lapsed into forgetting about turning to God for help and also not bothering to follow his guidance, consequently falling back into chaos.

Sometimes we can become overwhelmed by our own lack of strength and as I am at that old age category, I frequently do. One of my favorite verses is in the book of Isaiah and I often go back and read it when I feel I cannot go on

“So do not fear for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41: 10)