Hope In Power

Read: Isaiah 50:1-3

Was my arm too short to ransom you? Do I lack the strength to rescue you?

Isaiah 50:2

IN WORD What keeps us from obeying God fully? What stands in the way of our turning that last vestige of personal autonomy over to His authority? It can’t be that His will is questionable—we saw that in Isaiah 48:17. It can’t be that His willingness to forgive and restore is lacking—we saw that in 48:18. Could it be that His power is insufficient to meet our needs? Do we question His ability to intervene in our deepest troubles and our darkest hours?

We would never overtly question in our minds the power of God. We know better. We believe that He created this world and that He holds it in His hand. But how relevant is that power to us? Sometimes we wonder. When a situation is somewhat difficult, we feel that prayer may still have a chance. But if a situation is really bleak, we give up our faith that an answer will come. The degree of difficulty influences our perception of God’s ability to work.

Why? Why would the level of difficulty have anything to do with whether we believe God will answer or not? He has been clear throughout Scripture: There’s nothing too difficult for Him. We believe in the God who parts the seas, who slays Goliaths, who heals the blind and the lame, who cleanses lepers, who turns water into wine, and who cannot be held in a tomb. What is it about our situation that causes us to give up our hope?

IN DEED If you’ve ever maintained hope when problems are solvable and then given up hope when they are not, you have forgotten the God of the impossible. Your situation does not scare Him. He is not desperately trying to figure it out. He takes great pleasure in bursting into an impossible situation with an answer no one had thought of. His greatest reluctance is the lack of faith engaging Him from the middle of that situation. He looks for faith so that when He bursts in, He will be recognized. It must be genuine faith, persistent faith, and bold faith. Its absence, as in Isaiah 50, causes Him great grief. Remember that He stands ready to save.

What is impossible to God? Not that which is difficult to His power, but that which is contrary to His nature.

—ST. AMBROSE