It is sometimes hard to figure out what churchy words mean. Omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent are three confusing words. This devotion will look at what omnipotent is.
Nuggets
- God created everything we see — and a lot of things we don’t see.
- He interconnects things and causes events to produce the outcomes needed to grow our characters.
- God is eternal and consistent.
- We have a tendency to limit God to what we know or think — or, especially, want, but His ways are so. much higher than ours.
Devotions in the Churchy Word series
What Does Omnipotent Mean?
What Does Omniscient Mean?
What Does Omnipresent Mean?
There are three churchy words used to describe Who God is. They are omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent.
But what do those words mean? How do they apply to God?
We are going to take a word a devotion and see if we can figure that out. Let’s dig in.
Let's Put It into Context
Holman Bible Dictionary defines omnipotence as “the state of being all-powerful which theology ascribes to God.”
I know. It is sometimes hard to wrap our heads around the Almighty Father even messing with us. Let’s take a look at His power.
Powerful Creator
“Oh, Lord GOD! You yourself made the heavens and earth by your great power and with your outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for you!” (Jer. 32: 17 CSB).
God created everything we see — and a lot of things we don’t see. How?
God said, “Let there be…,” stretched out His arm (singular), and made the heavens and earth. That was all He needed to do.
No, we don’t know what happened next. Did things just appear out of nowhere? Was it more like a reverse-Avengers’ snap, and it drift together over an undetermined period of time?
Either way, the how of creation doesn’t really matter. It is the Who that is important.
God did it. Only He could do it.
God did it His way. He did it from scratch. Nothing was partially started, and He just finished it up.
In Control of What Happens
“I know that you can do anything and no plan of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42: 2 CSB)
I don’t know about you, but I really love the story of Job. Here is a guy that didn’t do anything wrong. In fact, He was doing everything right.
Still, the bad stuff came. Job knew he hadn’t done anything to warrant all this trouble. When all the dust that Satan kicked up had settled, God challenged Job.
The majority of the challenge centered around “who do you think you are, and Who do you think I Am?” Job got this challenge because, in part, he was arrogant. Another reason was he was a little whiny.
What we get is two good chapters showing God’s power (Job 38-39). God points to all these different things He created to show phase His power. He showed Job His omnipotence.
God’s power isn’t just limited to creating things, though. He interconnects things and causes events to produce the outcomes needed to grow our characters.
That power to control events shows how powerful God actually is. In the end, Job acknowledges, “I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you” (Job 42: 2 NLT). God can do anything— even the impossible.
“Is anything impossible for the LORD? At the appointed time I will come back to you, and in about a year she will have a son” (Gen. 18: 14 CSB).
“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible’” (Mt. 19: 26 CSB).
Burrell brought up a good point. Job probably already knew this. But now he had more than just a head knowledge. He could really appreciate this aspect of God’s character.
We have to have more than head knowledge. We have to have heart trust.
Everlasting
“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He never becomes faint or weary; there is no limit to his understanding” (Isa. 40: 28 CSB)
God is powerful because He has no beginning or end.
- “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God” (Ps. 90: 2 ESV)
- “To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen” (I Tim. 1: 17 ESV)
- “In hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began” (Ti. 1: 2 ESV).
- Are you not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, you have ordained them as a judgment, and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof” (Hab. 1: 12 ESV).
Not only is God eternal, He is consistent. “God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?” (Num. 23: 19 NLT).
How much comfort does it give you that God doesn’t change, doesn’t leave us, doesn’t give up on us, and isn’t sleeping when we need Him the most? The all-powerful God Almighty is going to be there when those who have submitted their lives to Him need Him.
This life can be depressing. It was depressing when we were in the rat race going ninety to nothing. It is depressing now when almost everything has stopped.
But where is God when we are down? “But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint” (Isa. 40: 13 NLT). He is right there to lift us up.
That is because God understands us. He knows all of our neuroses. He knows who we are at in our core. He knows us.
Parker presented four guarantees because of God’s limitless energy.
- The universe can run regularly.
- God will keep His promises.
- God will follow through on punishment.
- Christ will be glorified in the end.
Above Us
“Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us” (Eph. 3: 20 CSB)
Paul does a good job of putting us in our place here, doesn’t he? We have a tendency to limit God to what we know or think — or, especially, want.
Fortunately, God’s ways are so much higher than ours (Isa. 55: 8-9). He doesn’t limit His blessings to what our wee minds devise.
Think about it. If we really want something to happen a certain way — and it does — we may begin to think it happened because of us.
But if God provides a way cooler or way better something, we know it was Him, not us.
God wants us to submit our will and lives to Him. It He just gives us what we come up with, we aren’t trusting Him. We are trying to keep control.
In a way, it seems a little silly, doesn’t it? We are weaklings compared to Him. He is all powerful.
And we want to limit God to what we can design?
Seriously?
Instead, God wants to give us more — abundance. Oh, it may be red instead of blue. Or in a different city or business.
But God’s way is much better for us than ours. Remember, “and we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8: 28 CSB).
Making the Connections
It amazes me when we (four fingers pointing back at me) think that we can do such a better job than God can. We know what we need — in reality want. We know what our strengths and weaknesses are.
God knows us so much better than we do ourselves. Yet, we want to keep control and put Him in the box Natalie Grant talked about.
How Do We Apply This?
Instead, we have to trust Him as our Omnipotent Heavenly Father. That means we have to give Him the reigns. We have to submit.
We have to put our faith and trust in the all-powerful God.
Gracious Heavenly Father. You are the only all-powerful God. You could demand our allegiance to You. Instead, You approach us in love. Forgive us when we pump ourselves up and try to keep control of our own lives. Help us to submit to You in all things. Amen.
What do you think?
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This article does not address ‘when bad things happen’. That is not such an easy explanation
Thank you for your response. It was not the purpose of this devotion to address the topic of when bad things happen. Elaine.