Power Belongs to God

“God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God. Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.” (Ps.62: 11,12 KJV)

My wife reminded me a while ago of the story of David fleeing from his son Absalom, and how at that distressing moment of his life a man called Shimei from the clan of Saul came out and began raining curses on him. She pointed out David’s reaction to Shimei’s provocation when David’s men spoke of killing Shimei. David said, “If he is cursing because the LORD said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who can ask, ‘Why do you do this?’… Leave him alone; let him curse, for the LORD has told him to. It may be that the LORD will see my distress and repay me with good for the cursing I am receiving today.” (2 Samuel 16:10 -12 – NIV)

David was  in effect saying that Shimei could not be cursing him if God had not allowed it. So he was not going to strive with Shimei or any other man, because he was not in their hands. David was confident that nothing could happen to him that God did not allow, and that if God had allowed it then he was not at the mercy of any situation or man, he was in the hands of God. Think about that.

In John 19:10 Pilate said to our Lord Jesus; “Don’t you realise I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” (NIV). And this is what our challenges seem to be saying to us, “Don’t you realise I have power to crucify you? I am in control and I have power to do whatever I like to you.” I don’t know what your challenge is as you read this, but often it seems like the forces at work around us and in us (and at times because of our mistakes) have the power to crucify us. But Jesus was not afraid because he knew who has the ultimate power. His reply to Pilate was similar to David’s, “You would have no power over me except that it is given to you from above”.

I want to encourage you that it doesn’t matter what the challenge is that you face – it has no power over you. Your life is in God’s hands and he is in control no matter what happens. He has the last say over our lives. And like the verse above says (Psalm 62:12), not only does all power belong to him, unto him also belongs mercy. Or, like the Good News Translation of that verse:

“More than once I have heard God say that power belongs to him and that his love is constant. You yourself, O Lord, reward everyone according to their deeds” (Ps. 62:11,12 GNB)

He will not fail. He will deliver. For with God it is always “Yea and amen” to all he has promised us. It doesn’t matter how strong other powers might be, God is stronger, and God is merciful!