Independent Power

Election seasons are always a rollercoaster, but being in America this summer during this particular presidential cycle has set a new record in my personal experience of political drama. The stakes are high, and the surprise plot-twists have been coming thick and fast. The news stories and ensuing commentary are non-stop, a constant reminder of how much raw global power is wielded by the American president. Whoever wins this election will command the world’s most powerful economy, military, and government. Their power will be massive, by virtue of the structures they oversee. It is a power granted by the people of America through democratic mandate, and executed through millions upon millions of civil-service employees, soldiers, and law-enforcement officers. In other words, it is a power that is dependent on others, contingent on the collective power of the people supporting them. This is how power works. The most powerful among us are those who are able to channel and control the collected power of others most effectively. On our own, we are small. We are created, finite beings, with limited strength. No matter how strong an individual may be, the collective force of millions working together will always be stronger. With one notable exception.

Consider the power of God. Unlike human power, God’s power is not contingent. The Bible tells us that he does rule over structures—over armies of angels and all the nations of earth. But unlike human rulers, God does not derive his power from these structures. On the contrary—the structures derive their power from him. He spoke our entire universe and all things into existence with a command, including every lesser power that has ever been or ever will be. If every other structure and force in the universe disappeared tomorrow, God’s power would remain, undiminished. This is why God can make promises in a way that no politician or emperor on earth has ever been able to—he is fully able to overrule every opposing force in the universe he created, without needing any help from anyone else to do so. The combined power of every nation and military on earth is laughable in comparison to the Maker of all things (Psalm 2:4). When God promises to act, there is literally nothing that can stop him from doing exactly what he says he will do (Daniel 4:35). When he says he will bring perfect justice for every wrong ever committed (Matthew 16:27), he means it. When he says he will provide complete forgiveness for all who come to him through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:7), he means it. When he says he will build his kingdom on earth (Daniel 2:44) and work all things together for good for those who love him (Romans 8:28), and generously provide an inheritance that “will never perish, spoil, or fade” (1 Peter 1:4) for his children, he can do it. And no one can stop him. 

“Blessed are all who take refuge in him” – Psalm 2:12