Jesus: Our Mighty God in Times of Darkness
Have you ever found yourself navigating through the darkness of your home late at night, trying not to wake anyone? Perhaps you're using the faint glow of your phone screen to guide your steps, wary of potential Lego landmines underfoot. This everyday scenario offers a powerful metaphor for our spiritual journey.
We often know where we want to go in life, but the path is shrouded in darkness. Obstacles we can't see threaten to trip us up. In these moments, we need more than just our own knowledge or abilities – we need a guiding light, a Mighty God to lead us through.
Isaiah 9:6 paints a vivid picture of Jesus, describing Him as "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Let's focus on Jesus as our Mighty God – not just an abstract, powerful deity, but a personal Savior who meets us in our deepest needs.
Why Do We Need a Mighty God?
Life is vast and complex, far beyond our individual capacities to control or comprehend fully. We face battles on multiple fronts:
1. Internal struggles: self-doubt, fear of failure, feelings of inadequacy
2. External challenges: financial pressures, health issues, difficult relationships
3. Spiritual warfare: unseen battles against "the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world" (Ephesians 6:12)
These multifaceted challenges remind us that we need something – Someone – greater than ourselves. We need a Mighty God who fights for us and equips us with spiritual armor.
Moreover, when our carefully laid plans crumble, we often find ourselves stuck or retreating to familiar territory. Remember Simon Peter? After denying Jesus and witnessing His crucifixion, Peter's response was, "I'm going fishing." He returned to what he knew best when his world fell apart.
In these moments, we don't necessarily need more information about God. Instead, we need to be reminded of His might and presence. Psalm 46:1 reassures us: "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." The Hebrew name used here, Elohim, emphasizes God's power and might.
Corrie ten Boom, who endured the horrors of Nazi concentration camps, offers this beautiful analogy: "When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer." When life's tunnel seems endless, we must trust our Mighty God to see us through.
How Is Jesus Our Mighty God?
Jesus' might is all-encompassing. Matthew 28:18 declares, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus demonstrated power over:
Creation: calming storms
Evil spirits: delivering the oppressed
Death: raising the dead
Sickness: healing the afflicted
Darkness: being the light that cannot be overcome
Sin: canceling its power
Satan: disarming spiritual rulers and authorities
There isn't a single aspect of existence that falls outside Jesus' authority. Even in our limitations, pain, and suffering, Jesus remains in control. The key difference for followers of Christ is the confidence that even in our darkest moments, we are held securely in the hands of a Mighty God we can trust.
C.S. Lewis insightfully noted, "Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world." Our Mighty God doesn't shy away from our struggles; like a firefighter, He runs towards the flames to rescue us.
Isaiah 41:10 offers this powerful assurance: "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." With Jesus, we are never alone in our battles. He fights for our hearts, our freedom, and our future.
Importantly, as followers of Christ, we don't fight for victory – we fight from a position of victory already secured by Jesus. Imagine a chicken confronting a pack of hyenas in the wild. The chicken's feeble "roar" only amuses the predators until, at the last moment, a mighty lion steps out of the woods, sending the hyenas fleeing. The chicken realizes it didn't win the battle, but it benefits from the lion's victory.
How often do we flap and squawk, trying to win battles beyond our strength? The truth is, our victory doesn't depend on us. Faith and obedience are our responsibility; the victorious outcome belongs to our Mighty God, the Lion of Judah.
What Should We Do in Response?
1. Give God back His job of running the world.
We must surrender our illusion of control and trust in God's superior wisdom and power. Like Job, who questioned God through 36 chapters of suffering, we may need to come to the point of saying, "I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance" (Job 42:5-6, NLT).
2. Live boldly, knowing we are not alone.
Romans 8:31-32 challenges us: "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" This assurance frees us to take risks, love sacrificially, and share our lives generously.
A.W. Tozer beautifully summarized God's might:
"Anything God has ever done, He can do now. Anything God has ever done anywhere, He can do here. Anything God has ever done for anyone, He can do for you."
As we face life's challenges, let's remember that Jesus is not just our Savior, but our Mighty God. He can handle what overwhelms us. Trust Him with your battles and live with the bold assurance that He is for you.
What would your life look like if you fully believed that nothing is impossible for Him? How might you step out in faith, knowing that what Mighty God leads you to, Mighty God will lead you through?
Take a moment to reflect on areas where you need to trust in God's might. Surrender your fears, your plans, and your limitations to Him. Then, step forward courageously, knowing that the Mighty God of the universe goes before you and stands beside you.