To us a child is born, to us a son is given…And he will be called…Mighty God. ~ Isaiah 9:6
One of the great questions of the Bible is, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). The answer is: No one and nothing!
For a moment, let’s think of someone who was against a whole country: Goliath. He is the Philistine solider from 1 Samuel 17. The Bible describes him as a nine-foot tall champion. His armor and weaponry likely weighed more than some of the Israelite soldiers themselves. Whenever he challenged Israel to fight, his voice struck terror into their hearts. No one dared fight him, until a young shepherd heard his challenge and asked, “Who is he to defy the armies of the living God?” And with a few smooth stones and a slingshot in his hand, David took on Goliath. If God was for David, who could be against him?
As you read this today, you probably aren’t too concerned about the threat of a nine-foot tall soldier. But do you have pressures before you that cause you to worry? Do you have challenges on the horizon that fill your heart with fear? Perhaps some of them appear over nine-feet tall and they make you feel very weak and helpless. Where will you find the strength to face them? God is for you! But how can you be so sure?
You can be sure that God is for you because he was wrapped in strips of cloth and laid in Bethlehem’s manger–“Mighty God” himself, Jesus Christ.
God the Father sent his own Son for you, because God is for you. And don’t be fooled by the size of God’s gift! Jesus, born a humble child, came with the might of God to do what no other human being could—take away sin, destroy death, and crush the work of the devil.
Jesus still comes to you in the Bible, God’s Mighty Word, with his grace and power, which is sufficient for all your moments of weakness and fear.
Prayer:
Guide me, O thou Great Jehovah,
Pilgrim through this barren land.
I am weak, but thou art mighty;
hold me with thy powerful hand. Amen (Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal – 331).
Living Hope Church 