How does the power of God show?

Recently, I watched a Facebook video showing extreme gyrations and fast dancing of people during a church service. One fellow, as he banged a tambourine against his side, kept going in circles while balancing himself on one leg. Others whooped and hollered, fell to the floor and acted as if they were having a seizure. As the pastor walked through the congregation, everyone he tapped on the forehead collapsed and lost total control of his or her body.

The blurb for the video said, “See the Power of God!”

Occasionally throughout church history, among groups experiencing genuine revival, the presence and power of God has been manifested through unusual physical phenomena. A case in point is the Second Great Awakening in the United States, especially in rural areas of Kentucky and Tennessee. Reportedly, the work of God’s Spirit also changed the lives of those people and altered their day to day behavior and attitudes.

I’m not convinced that the behavior I saw on the video was evidence of God’s power. Yet I am certain of this: if a person or group authentically experiences the power of God, His might will primarily show in far less public and demonstrative venues.

• The power to forgive and release resentment
• The power to keep on serving the Lord diligently despite failure, opposition or despondency
• The power to mourn when the Spirit convicts of sin and the enablement to experience more victory over a besetting sin
• The power to treat a spouse with more grace and kindness
• The power to curb a tendency to stretch the truth or to gossip
• The power to say “I’m sorry” when you were previously too proud to do it

The video spurred my thinking about ways in which I need to experience God’s power in my daily living.

Yes, I desperately need His enablement to serve effectively through teaching and writing, but I began thinking of less public, more self-effacing manifestations of His power.

My reflections generated the following poem. The lyrics disclose ways in which I yearn to experience more divine help.

 

I Want to Know the Power of God

I want to know the power of Christ,
yet never for self-centered gain.
But so I won’t yield when enticed
by pursuits He considers vain.

I desire strength only He can bestow
when Satan doggedly pursues me.
Despite sin’s allure, that I’ll say “No!”
Oh Spirit, do not refuse me.

I want to possess heaven’s might
to love others unselfishly.
That I’ll be aroused by their plight;
not by what they can do for me.

I plead for kindness when I converse
over the phone or face to face.
That I won’t show impatience, or worse;
so my speech will be seasoned with grace.

Power to forgive those who sin against me;
not to brood or exhibit resentment.
That I’ll recall Christ’s forgiveness, I plea,
and bask in deep-seated contentment.

Not clout for my public roles–No!
Not potency as a writer or teacher.
Instead, I yearn for my faith to grow,
so joy is my dominant feature.

For strength to believe, when battling despair,
that God allows trials for my gain.
That every burden He will help me bear,
and that He will redeem my pain.

I need power for my daily walk,
so it’s Jesus and His grace I’m pursuing.
For God’s truth to supplant faulty self-talk,
so I’ll emphasize BEING over doing.

_____

In what specific ways do you yearn to experience the Lord’s power? Will you talk to Him about this desire?

That’s a prayer He will answer!