“In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you” (2 Chronicles 20:6).
 

We have all heard the saying “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” and sadly, experience often shows the truth in that old bit of wisdom.  But if it is true, what about God – who is truly all-powerful (2 Chronicles 20:6) at a scale that no human can even begin to grasp (Job 26:7-14)?  If power corrupts – especially absolute power –  why is it that God is somehow unaffected by this fact?

Some atheists have presumed to know the answer to that question by proclaiming that this fact disproves the existence of God, as his very nature would be compromised by his own power. But we might well reply to this argument with the words of Jesus himself: “…You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God” (Matthew 29:29).

The Scriptures show that the power of God does not in any way corrupt him because it is transformed by another equally inherent aspect of God’s nature –  his love.  In fact, the Scriptures clearly record the fact that while God has infinite power, he is love (1 John 4:8). What we are always overrides what we have, and this is certainly true in the case of the power of God.
 
We continually get glimpses of this control of power by love throughout the earthly life of Jesus, the Son of God.  We see it from the very beginning of his ministry in the temptations in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11) by his refusal to misuse the power he had, and we see it at many other times such as when the disciples urged him to bring fire down on a city of the Samaritans (Luke 9:54) or to use power to avert his own death (Matthew 16:21-23). 
 
But these are all examples of Jesus not misusing the power he had at his disposal. Even more telling are the times when Jesus did use the great power he had – in miracles and signs given in love to help others.  Even on the rare occasions when Jesus claimed privileges for himself, such as the right to use something based on his true identity, we find his use of power was entirely for love. This was either love of God, as when he claimed the right to use the donkey that carried him into Jerusalem in order to fulfill the word of God (Matthew 21:1-11), or love of others, as when he claimed the right to use the upper room where he expounded truth to his disciples and washed their feet (Matthew 26:17-18 and John 13:1-20).  In all these instances, Jesus used the power he had in service to others.

Because of these examples, we can know that God’s power does not in any way corrupt his perfect nature. The potential for misuse of power is transformed by his perfect love. To turn our original statement around,we can say that “love transforms power and absolute love transforms absolute power.”

This truth flows over into the lives of those who are truly led by the Spirit of God. As the apostle Paul wrote: “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7, emphasis added). The power of God – the power he gives – is transformed by love and controlled by self-discipline.

Doubtless that is why Paul also described his desire that believers “May have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ” (Ephesians 3:18).   With God, the expression of power is never separated from love, and the two should never be separated in our lives, either. 

​It’s a beautiful scripture, but it is so often quoted out of context (for example, on social media) that we get used to it and often miss the depth of the promise.  In context, God not only promises to watch over Jacob, but also makes a number of other promises to the patriarch.  Although the words were spoken to a specific individual, many other scriptures show it is reasonable to take them as our own if we, like Jacob, are walking with God and allowing him to work his purpose in our lives.

But if we are going to apply these words to our own relationship with God, why not spend some time thinking about the fullness of what they show.  Rather than allowing ourselves to see the scripture as just a group of words with a single positive message of divine protection or care, why not break them down and focus on the fact that they contain not one general promise, but four very specific ones:

(1) God’s presence (“I am with you”), (2) God’s preservation (“I will watch over you”), (3) God’s restoration (“I will bring you back”), (4) God’s promises (“what I have promised you”).

Take a little time to think on what each of these promises can mean in your life – if you feel they apply to you, why not apply them fully!

The difficulty comes from the fact that many people only see half of what is involved in fearing God.  For them,  such fear appears to be a purely negative thing. Like a sign saying “beware of the dog” or “danger, minefield,” the statement “fear God” elicits only negative emotional responses.

But there is a scripture that gives us the other half of the equation and helps us to see the fear of God much more accurately, as we should.  That scripture is Exodus 20:20 – the verse quoted above.  I think of Exodus 20:20 as my spiritual eyesight verse – it’s the “20/20” eye check report we all need if we are to see this aspect of our relationship with God clearly.

Notice that in speaking these words, Moses told the ancient Israelites three important things:

1. “God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you”:  These words make it clear that God wants to be sure that we do have the proper fear of him.

2. “that you may not sin” or “to keep you from sinning” (NIV): The clear purpose of that fear is to protect us from hurting ourselves or others through wrongdoing.

3. “Do not fear”:  Even though God wants us to fear to do evil so that we do not receive punishment from him, he actually commands us not to fear him for any other reason.

When we see the balance of this verse, we see that God treats his human children as we should treat ours – he encourages proper respect for the protection of the children themselves, but does not instill fear in any negative sense.  The morbid concept of a stern and judgmental God demanding abject fear is a figment of human imagination, as we read in Isaiah: “… their fear of me is a commandment taught by men” (Isaiah 29:13b). 

In the New Testament we see that Christ also reiterated fear of God in proper context:  “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).  These words are followed immediately by the affirmation of godly love: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered” (Matthew 10:29).

That kind of fear is analogous to the healthy respect of a child who hesitates to disobey its parent, yet who feels secure in the parent’s love and who knows it need not fear the parent in any other way. 

When we see the true parental love of God in our lives, it should not be difficult to see the fear of God correctly – to realize that we can fear God positively without fearing him negatively at all.