November 26

Power Belongs to God

Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? ... Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above. — John 19:10-11

Authority is one of the intrusted talents. Men talk very boastfully of their power, forgetting that it is delegated power which they hold, and that they must wield it for God, and must give account to Him for their use of it. No man’s power belongs to himself to do with as he pleased; it is given him from God, the source of all power. This is true of the authority of parents and teachers, of the power possessed by civil magistrates, and of all power whatsoever.

Men are eager to obtain offices in the city or nation; and they do not always realize the responsibility which attaches to such positions. Power belongs to God, and must be used for God, or its misuse will bring sore penalty. It is a talent which is given to us to be accounted for, and no treason is worse than malfeasance in the employing of power. This is true all the way from the power of the child on the playground to the power of the president of the nation or the king on his throne. “Thou couldest have no power ... except it were given thee from above.”

There is a comforting thought suggested by the words in this sentence, “Thou couldest have no power at all against me.” Christ in this world was under the protection of His Father, and no one on earth could lift a finger against Him but by the Divine permission. What was true of Him, the Son of God, is true of each one of the sons of God in all their earthly life. Each believer, the humblest, the weakest, is kept in this world as the apple of God’s eye. No one can touch one of God’s little ones save by Divine permission. This shows how safe we are, amid all the world’s dangers and enmities, while we trust ourselves in our Father’s keeping.