-And because it is humanly impossible, this constant prayer and pleasing God and bearing much fruit (for truly, apart from Him there is nothing I can do - John 15.5), Paul continues by asking the Lord to empower the Colossians with all power. Power which comes from the almighty God of glory. Limitless. Infinite. Inexhaustible. Unquenchable. Immeasurable. Inconceivable. Power which knows no bounds. It is beyond description or compare or comprehension. It is beyond anything we can imagine and it is more than sufficient for anything we need. It is the power that ignited and sustains trillions upon trillions of stars, in each of which the power of billions of nuclear bombs is being continuously detonated every second of every day. This is the power of almighty God of glory. The God of the impossible. The God of wonders. The God of miracles. The God of much fruit. Nothing is too difficult for Him, and He can take my impotence and turn it into a miracle. In fact in the Greek language the gift of ‘miracles’ is actually called the gift of ‘powers’. He has the power to bring life out of death, creation from nothing, beauty from ashes. He has more than enough power to take my humble fishes and loaves and multiply them to feed a multitude. His infinite power is readily available to help each of us navigate dark valleys of death and climb mountains (or perhaps even remove them entirely) and to transform our lives into something divine.
-But note here the purpose of the power. Not necessarily for miracles or healing or flashy preaching, this. It is to produce patience and perseverance and long-suffering and joyful thanksgiving in the lives of those who are facing the attendant persecution of following Christ in the midst of a world that is already replete with brokenness. It's hard enough just to live with and survive the brokenness we all face everyday. Stuff breaks down. Bodies and minds break down. Houses and cars break down. Even relationships are subject to breakdown. Everything is subject to the law of corruption (cf Romans 8.21) and needs constant work and maintenance, and even then there are no guarantees. But then for those who follow Christ, there is the added and very real challenge of facing temptation and struggling against the flesh and the enemy as well as the world. Our neighbors and our nation and the spirit of this world are all in a default antagonist position towards God and His people, specifically towards Jesus Christ, and if I am following Christ they are all set against me too. Granted, the battle they wage is a losing one, and we must remember that many of our neighbors actually are seeking and hungry to know God, but God promises us that those who desire to live godly in Christ will be persecuted (2Timothy 3.12; cf John 15.20, Mark 10.30, Matthew 13.21, 5.10-12). When push comes to shove, when the opportunity presents itself, those who are living in rebellion towards God will bow up against His people and mistreat and even kill them in order to continue in their attempt to live apart from Christ. Contrary to the teachings of the so-called prosperity gospel, life doesn’t suddenly start coming up roses for those who follow Christ. The law of corruption and the promise of persecution aren’t magically suspended for God’s people. Thus the need for God’s power each and every day, fresh power from His Spirit to hang in there under hardship and mistreatment and injustice and disappointment, to endure suffering and brokenness with patience and rejoicing and gratitude that makes our neigbors and the nations stop and take notice and inquire about our living hope and enduring joy and our peace that defies any earthly explanation. Because when you think about it, patience and joy in the midst of brokenness and suffering is just what they least expect, humanly impossible, definitely other-worldly. Which is exactly what God wants to do in my life - something out of this world...
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