Scripture: Psalm 33:6-11 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
He gathers the waters of the sea into jars;
he puts the deep into storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the Lord;
let all the people of the world revere him.
For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
The Lord foils the plans of the nations;
he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever,
the purposes of his heart through all generations.
Devotion: God’s creation is breathtaking and awe-inspiring. As we look at the hand-painted sky, the majestic snowy mountains, or the steady crashing waves of the ocean, God’s glory and power is on display. We read about that very power in our Psalm today. God is omnipotent. This means that He is all-powerful. And that is what He used to create our universe. It often isn’t difficult to praise Him for this because we see His beauty and His handiwork.
But being that He is all-powerful, His power is not just limited to the scope of creation. Rather, God is able to do anything that He wills without any effort on His part. Job reflects on this attribute in this way, “Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens above—what can you do? They are deeper than the depths below—what can you know? Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea. If he comes along and confines you in prison and convenes a court, who can oppose him? Surely he recognizes deceivers; and when he sees evil, does he not take note?” (Job 11:7-11).
Recognizing that we have a God with this kind of power can seem intimidating and overwhelming at first. What we must recognize is that God cannot do anything that is contrary to His very nature. Hebrews 6:18 assures of this, “God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged.” Since it is impossible for God to lie, everything that we know about Him from Scripture will always remain true. So, God holds all power and is worthy of our worship because of that. We need not fear this, for we know that He uses this power to work all things together for good (Romans 8:28).
John MacArthur puts it this way, “Although such power might seem frightful, remember that God is good. He can do anything according to His infinite ability, but will do only those things that are consistent with Himself. That’s why He can’t lie, tolerate sin, or save impenitent sinners.” We can find great peace in knowing that our omnipotent God is also a God full of peace, love, wisdom, justice, and mercy. That is the God who rules over all, and what a reason to rejoice that is.
Reflect:
- What are your initial thoughts about God holding all power?
- Pray that God would break your heart for what breaks His, helping you to see that Him having all of the power can only be a good thing.