The recent power blackout gives pause for thought. When the electricity goes out, where do we get our power? Candles, batteries, and generators can be good substitutes in many instances, but what about power for our spiritual needs?

It is common to think of Jesus Christ as the light of the world. When the light of Christ's truth and love is shining in our lives, we can find our way amid the moral and spiritual darkness of this world. Yet the designer of our universe also identifies Christ as "the power of God".

This power, which God desires to share with the world, is more beneficial and far more important than the display of divine power associated with lightning strikes and thunderclaps.

The psalmist says, "You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!" (Psalm 68: 35) God reveals that power in the unique impregnation of the womb of the virgin Mary, and announces His plan in advance through His messenger Gabriel. "The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.'" (Luke 1: 35) God also reveals His matchless power in raising Jesus from the tomb on the third day following his sacrificial death for sinners. Explaining after the fact what God has done, Paul writes of Jesus "who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God, by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 1: 4).

Loss of electrical power leads to darkness, chaos, inconvenience and danger. So it is with the loss of divine power. If God is not at work in our lives, then we grope in the darkness, chaos reigns, and we are in danger.

The restoration of power after an electrical outage must be done gradually, to avoid blowing up the appliances connected to the lines and for whom the power is intended. So it is with God's power in our lives: it must be given to us gradually, so that we do not become unbalanced. We must become used to God at work within us. To handle the Holy Spirit is a challenge! Some of God's best, most holy servants, in times of revival, came to the point where they had to ask God to stay His hand, for they were so overwhelmed with His presence and power that they could not take any more.

Clearly, though, God's design is to bless and equip His people with power. Paul in writing to the churches, Ephesus among them, writes: "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being." (Ephesians 3: 16) To encourage young Timothy in his witness for Christ, the apostle offers a reminder: "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power." (2 Timothy 1: 7)

We hold this power, however, in weak vessels. "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." (2 Corinthians 4: 7) Though on loan to us, the power is not ours. Job rightly declares, "To God belong wisdom and power." (Job 12: 13)

Let us be reminded that whether the lights are on or off, God empowers those in whom He lives by His Spirit, to have power, and to be the means for conveying that power to our neighbourhoods and communities.

"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile." (Romans 1: 16)

Powered by Christ, and only so,

Your pastor,

James T. Hurd.