“Power belongs to God, and. . . to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love.” (Psalm 62:11-12)
In this world, power is usually more frightening than it is good. Why? Because it is abused. In a sinful world, those with the greatest power are the greatest threat, especially to the weak and vulnerable. It’s why we have checks and balances in our government system, to mitigate the abuse of power by one person or group.
So when we hear in Psalm 62:11 that “power belongs to God,” it can easily sound frightening. An all-powerful God is a God with no limits on the damage he can do. Who could stop him? And sometimes it is tempting to view God this way, as a cosmic dictator who is out to get us.
But the passage doesn’t stop there. Verse 12 says, “to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love.” So what kind of a powerful God is he? A steadfastly loving one. That means his love never wanes or fails or falters or changes. He is marked by love. 1 John 4 tells us that God is love. And his power puts that love into action in a way and to the extent that no one else can. It is all-powerful love!
God’s power is fearful if we choose to fight it, but when we put our trust in Him, he will simply powerfully love us.
I originally wrote this post for my church, Immanuel Nashville, in our Daily Pulse email. If you want encouragement from God’s word delivered Monday thru Friday to your inbox, I encourage you to subscribe!
Photo by Gleb Lukomets on Unsplash
