Inscribe the Word . . . The Omnipotent God.
Happy February! It is an exciting month as we begin Part Two in our Attributes of God Series. This year, Inscribe the Word is taking a twelve-part journey through the attributes of God and we are excited for you to join us.
If you are just joining Inscribe the Word for the first time . . . WELCOME!
You can read more about Scripture Writing and this unique way to study God's Word daily at this link.
Last month, we studied EL OLAM; the Eternal God. This month we study EL SHADDAI: The Omnipotent God. If you have just joined us know that you do not have to study these attributes in order. Jump in at any time. You will be blessed!
The words El Shaddai or Almighty God occurs 58 times in the Bible and each time speaks of God and only God. He alone is all-powerful . . . Omnipotent. Let's begin this months Inscribe the Word . . .
Let me tell you a bit about a man named Steven Charnock. Steven Charnock was an English Puritan minister born in 1628. His life's work or his magnum opus was an entire discourse on the Attributes of God. Charnock's theological fame rests chiefly in his Discourses upon the Existence and Attributes of God, a series of lectures delivered to the members of his congregation at Crosby Hall; unfortunately, however, the Discourses were cut short by Charnock's death in 1680. The treatise is preserved today as The Existence and Attributes of God, first published posthumously in 1682. (source)
His works are probably the oldest published works on The Attributes of God and I would love to share some of His words with you. If you feel up to the task, you can find the entirety of his discourse here.
WHAT DOES OMNIPOTENT MEAN?
If you study a list of God's attributes, you will often see "OMNIPOTENT" on that list. God's omnipotence is His power.
"The power of God is the ability and strength whereby He can bring to pass whatsoever He pleases, whatsoever His infinite wisdom may direct, and whatsoever the infinite purity of His will may resolve." - Stephen Charnock
Charles Spurgeon describes God's Omnipotence like this . . .
"The mightiest of men cannot add so much as a shadow of increased power to the Omnipotent One. He sits on no buttressed throne and leans on no assisting arm. His court is not maintained by His courtiers, nor does it borrow its splendor from His creatures. He is Himself the great central source and Originator of all power."
We've spent time studying EL OLAM, the Eternal God. The good news is that not only is our God eternal, but His POWER is also eternal. He didn't have to "strengthen Himself". He didn't start weak and become strong. Our miraculous God has always been and always will be El Shaddai, the Mighty One. He has and will always be POWER.
GOD SHOWS HIS POWER THROUGH CREATION.
Many of the Scriptures we are inscribing show God's power throughout all of Creation. "In the beginning, God created . . . " (Genesis 1:1) He created life in the beginning and He is still creating. We see His power every morning as the sun rises over the horizon. We see His power every evening as with a finger He pushes it back into its resting place.
We see His power as it spins the planets in perfect orbit and keeps the waves from invading the shore. We see His power as hurricanes blow, tornados twist, and volcanos burst.
The Psalmist says, "The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours; the world and all that is in it, you have founded them." - Psalm 89:11.
And in the book of Job God declares, “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” - Job 38:4-7
Just look outside your window, observe the mountains, and notice the winds and the waves . . . Creation shouts His power.
GOD SHOWS HIS POWER THROUGH PRESERVATION.
Why doesn't the ocean take over the land? Why don't the mountains topple from the sheer weight of the rock? It is because El Shaddai, the Almighty God, preserves the world and everything in it.
All life would be gone from this earth it was not for the resources that God provides for us. The sun, the water, the air, the fruit and herbs for food, the heat of the sun for warmth . . . we would perish if God had not said, "LET THERE BE . . . " (Genesis 1) And we would perish if at any time He would stop being the Preserver of all that lives. (Psalm 36:6)
GOD SHOWS HIS POWER THROUGH JESUS
We see God's power in His Son Jesus. In the numerous miracles and healings, Jesus displays His power. When He raised Lazarus and Jairus' daughter, we see His power over death, hell, and the grave. Using the Temple as a picture, Jesus showed us that He has the power to lay His life down and take it up again. (John 2:19)
GOD SHOWS HIS POWER THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT.
St. Augustine said, "So the Father is omnipotent, the Son omnipotent, and the Holy Spirit is omnipotent; yet not three omnipotents, but one omnipotent: 'For of Him are all things, and through Him are all things, and in Him are all things; to whom be glory.' Whatever, therefore, is spoken of God in respect to Himself, is both spoken singly of each person, that is, of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and together of the Trinity itself, not plurally but in the singular.”
The angel told Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. Luke 1:35
In the person of the Holy Spirit, there is POWER!
GOD SHOWS HIS POWER THROUGH YOU!
Paul said, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness . . . " 2 Corinthians 12:9. The omnipotence of God is exalted in us when we are at our weakest place because He is "able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us . . . ". Ephesians 3:20
His power holds us in His grace despite our sin. His power keeps us from falling. The same power that conquered the grave lives in us!
"But seeing that He is clothed in omnipotence, no prayer is too hard for Him to answer, no need too great for Him to supply, no passion too strong for Him to subdue, no temptation too powerful for Him to deliver from, no misery too deep for Him to relieve." - A.W. Pink
As you study THE OMNIPOTENCE OF GOD this month, remember the Lord is the strength of your life. (Psalm 27:1)
I pray that this study blesses you and I cannot wait to see God manifest His omnipotence . . . His POWER in your life.
