Tuesday, June 10, 2008

God's Power/Man's Power

I am thinking about the power of God and the power of man.

The Bible is full of accounts of how both of those powers have been
displayed. God showed His own power in creation; in creating a people for Himself; in freeing those people when they strayed from His plan; and, in saving all people when He sent His Son. Man's power dims by comparison. However, that power is seen by the destruction of the creation God gave us; by the persecution of God's people; by the constant attempt to create their own plan; and, by the rejection of God's wonderful plan for mankind.

One of the reasons I have been thinking about man's power is the news that
came to us from the United States this week. Even in Latin America the election process in the USA has been front page news. In countries like Costa Rica (with no oil of their own) the rise in the price of petroleum is important. The rise in food costs is impacting the entire world - especially poorer countries.

I have also thought about this issue because of a conversation Susan and I
had with a couple on Thursday. They are struggling to find justice. I can't go into the details, but this family has been terribly wounded by an evil man. Now, they are being savaged all over again by having to work with
an unjust judicial system.

Man's power is most evident in his ability to destroy everything good and
innocent around him.

God's power is sometimes seen in the big miracle, and it's sometimes seen in
the quiet determination of people to make a difference. This week we have seen both.

One of our Latin missionary families has been diligently preparing for over
two years to go to minister in a restricted access country. Two years is a long time. This week God provided a miracle for them in the form of a donation from a faithful Christian couple which has put them over the top with their set-up costs. They are now scheduled to leave on June 24th.

Of course this is also where I see the quiet determination of God's people.
Here is a family with two kids who are willing to go and work in a very difficult place. Their wildest dream is that through the investment of their lives they might see three, four or, even, five disciples formed in the next ten years. Without God's power they will not make it.

We attended the graduation at the high school where Kari has taught the past
two years. Big miracles are hard to come by in teaching. Still, when one of the valedictorians spoke (there were two) she turned to "Miss Roland" and said, "My conversations with you have changed my life. Just knowing you has changed my life." Maybe God's power was present in all those class preps after all!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Good for people to know.