Lessons From History.Sample

God Is for—Not Against—Us!

By Rev. Kenley Mann

Some leaders, like Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Pol Pot, used power to harm people.

God does not have “a lot” of power. He has all power. He is almighty. That can be scary to hear. As many powerful government leaders have done, we might worry about whether God would use his power to hurt us.

Jesus is always almighty. When he came to this earth, he still was almighty. When John writes in our text that Jesus revealed his glory, the word “revealed” means “uncovered.” He uncovered his power when Jesus changed water into the best of wines. He had always had it, but this was the first time that he let it be seen.

The word “glory” traces back to the idea of “weight.” Does Jesus throw his weight around like a self-advancing politician? Does he use it to harm us? No, he first uncovers it by turning water into wine. He uses his power to bless the wedding party. Jesus demonstrates that God is for us, not against us. This is amazing, good news; his almighty power is connected with his selfless love for us.

Imagine you are playing regular poker and are dealt a ten, jack, queen, king, and ace of hearts. This is called a royal flush. If you are holding this hand, nothing can beat it. You are going to win. This is the hand that God deals us in sending Jesus. With God for us, nothing can be against us. When the disciples realized the hand God sold them in Jesus, they put their faith in Him, leading us to follow their example. (John 2:11c)

Jesus comes not to harm but to be for us the unbeatable hand.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, when we worry or have anxiety, lead us to look at the hand you have dealt us in giving us Jesus. Give us relief in realizing that we must be and will be winners with him as our hand. Like his first disciples, help us deal him to others as the winning hand. Amen.