Lessons From the Edge

Powerful doesn't always look like it.

Picture this:
A room full of thirteen people.
Only two of the heads are not completely gray - mine, because I'm only 41 (the next youngest person in the group was in his 70s); and D's, because she colors her hair.
There are five walkers, four replaced knees, eight hearing aids, eleven pairs of glasses, one hip which needs replacing, and probably a couple of pace-makers, too.
Two people have Parkinson's Disease and cannot control their shaky hands.
One person recently suffered a mini-stroke and is still dealing with tingling in his face and hands.
Everyone has memory issues of some sort (myself, included!), but one woman in particular often needs to be reminded of things as simple as sitting down in her chair.

Now, with this image in your mind, how crazy do you think it is that I sat in this room, looked at this group, and proclaimed, "There is a lot of POWER right here!"?

We'd just been looking at 1 Samuel 16, when little David was anointed king of Israel. We talked about how unlikely of a candidate David was - according to the outside - and the reality of the power of God's Spirit to do things we could never imagine. And that's when it occurred to me: I was surrounded by a lot of POWER in that room full of wrinkles, arthritis, and back-aches.
I said, "We may not look like much - and our problems may make us look like even less - but if you are a believer in Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit lives in you. And His POWER is more powerful than anything else in the world!" And, together, we realized God could use this motley crew - empowered by His Spirit - to do amazing things. Just like little David slayed the giant by the power of the living God, so we can do big things by His power.

Are you feeling small and insignificant today? Powerless to do much of anything? Remember, if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, His Spirit lives in you. And His POWER is more powerful than anything else in the world!

The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.

1 Samuel 17:37