Quiet Power

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know…his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.

Ephesians 1:18-20

In the last of three requests Paul makes on behalf of the Ephesians, Paul prays that they may know God's incomparably great power, which is at work in us, for us who believe. When you became a Christian, you were immediately equipped with power. It came with the Spirit of grace who came into your heart. When we receive the Lord Jesus, he gives us the Spirit of love and grace and of power; and all of that comes when we believe in him. What we need to understand is the way this power works.

The resurrection of Jesus is the model of the power we possess. Unfortunately, when we read about the resurrection, we focus upon the angel's rolling away of the stone, and the earthquake, and the terror of the Roman guards. But what we don't realize is that all those events followed the resurrection. He was already resurrected when those things took place. His body lay in the tomb wrapped in the grave clothes, and yet at a moment that God determined, the body left those grave clothes. They were left lying there, crumpled up and sunken down, with no body in them. Jesus passed through the great stone while it was still standing before the door of the tomb. It was later rolled away to let the disciples in! The resurrection power of God is not a power that makes a great demonstration. It is quiet. This is power that you don't feel. You don't have any sense that it is happening, but it is happening.

This power only happens when you begin to act. When you begin to exercise the gifts that God has given you, then the power begins to flow, not before. Then God will work through you to accomplish things that will leave you gasping at what he has done. You didn't feel this power. You don't suddenly feel strong, capable, and mighty. No, you felt weak; God's power is made perfect in weakness. Many people never discover what God can do in their lives because they keep waiting to feel powerful before they act. No, you won't feel powerful. Begin to reach out and act to meet the needs around, and suddenly you discover that there is unusual power at work.

When Joshua crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land, the priests were told to go first and bear on their shoulders the ark of the covenant. They were to walk down to the River Jordan, which was flowing in flood before them, and trust in God that something would happen by the time they got to the river. And so they did. In faith they believed that God would do what he said he would do. When the priests put the ark of the covenant on their shoulders, they walked down, and when the soles of their feet actually touched the water, the water parted, and they went through on dry ground to the other side. That is the way God's power works. When you put it to work, when you begin to act yourself, expecting him to be with you, then his power begins to work. There is no noise, no flash, and no movement. The power is already there, and God is waiting for you to trust.

Father, grant that I might know this quiet power of the resurrected Christ in my life as I step out in dependence on you.