There was a time when the kings and their armies of four cities united and rose up against the kings of five other cities. The four were easily victorious over the five (which indicates their power and strength). As spoils of war, the invaders took captive some of the inhabitants of the defeated. One of whom was a man named Lot. Abraham, Lot’s uncle, in spite of the four kings display of might in their preceding victory, pursued with only 318 men. One would think a victory for Abraham to be humanly impossible. Yet, he was not only victorious, it was described as a slaughter. How could this be? From whence came Abraham’s power? One in a most unusual position stated that truth when he spoke to Abraham: “Blessed be God Most High, who hath delivered thine enemy into thy hand.” Yes, Abraham’s impossible victory came by the power of God (Genesis 14).
Today, with God’s Word, we can do the same. Works, efforts and conversions which appear hopeless to our eyes, are possible with God. Without a quiver in his voice, Paul could say: “I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God” (Rom. 1:16). As we do God’s things in God’s ways, the strength in our efforts is of God. He said His Word “shall not return unto me void, but shall accomplish that which I please” (Isa. 55:11). True, hardened hearts may not respond to the Gospel, and good works may be unfulfilled by those who doubt, but this is due to the weakness and wickedness of man who hinder the truth (Gal.5:7).
Yes, our enemies may be great: evolution, humanism, denominationalism, apostasies, etc., but God is greater and with the proper attitude (Jam. 2:8), proper disposition (Col. 4:6) and proper use of The Power (Rom. 1:16) we can “do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Phil. 4:13).
Gary Henson