Friday, February 01, 2019
Gentle Power
Lester’s friends called him “the mountain.” Standing 6’7” tall and weighing in at 300
pounds guaranteed that he would stick out in most crowds. And, the fact that he
was a ripped, professional, linebacker increased the intimidation factor. Thus
the nickname.
But Lester’s most distinguishing feature was best
illustrated by the picture that graced their living room wall, in which he was
holding his 7 pound, 6 ounce, newborn daughter. She was sleeping contentedly on
his massive outstretched hand and forearm. Her little head lay in the palm of
his hand and her feet barely reached the crook of his elbow. For the first few
weeks of her life, she was so small and light that it required a great deal of
care on Lester’s behalf just to handle his new bundle of joy safely. But he did.
Lester’s daughter would grow up in the shadow of her
“mountain” knowing that he father’s strength was not something to fear, but
something that provided a place of safety and comfort. With great restraint her
father would always consciously soften his touch when his little girl jumped on
his lap or ran into his arms for a hug. Even as a teenager he could easily lift
her off her feet with one hand, but his power was so consistently used on her
behalf that she had nothing but respect for her father, affectionately calling
him her “gentle power”.
This powerful image reminds us of another mountain who can
be described as gentle power – God almighty. God towers above his creation. He
could crush us accidently if he was capable of having an accident. Some would
argue that he should crush some for their evil and hurtful behavior. Instead,
He has been gentle. Jesus (God in flesh) said it like this: “I am humble and gentle at heart.”
(Matthew 11:29 NLT)
Mankind has a history of lamenting, “If God is so powerful,
why doesn’t He do ______?” But God’s power is actually better demonstrated by
his restraint than by His action. The fact that God does not make mankind obey
him or love him, proves that God is not only powerful, but that He is loving and
gentle. When mankind disobeys God’s moral laws, the ramifications of those bad
behaviors are punishment enough. But God is so confident in who He is that He
rarely responds with demonstrations of power. He usually only demonstrates His
power to reassure us that he is our gentle power.
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
