Omnipotent
| "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." (Revelation1:8) |
And what a powerful introduction it is.
God is omnipotent (all-powerful).
Look how He nuances it:
- Alpha and Omega: the first and last letters of the alphabet (and everything in between!) If you can think it, name it and spell it, it is part of who God is.
- The One who Is, Was and Is to Come: The present, the past and the future
- Almighty: the Greek word is "pantokrator" which means "has dominion over all!"
Who is is God?
He is omnipotent.
Nothing is outside of Him.
Nothing pre-dates Him and nothing will outlast Him.
He has dominion over all things.
Now many struggle with this...
If God is good and if God is all powerful then why is there chaos and brokenness in the world?
The answer is that God allows it.
He makes space within His sovereignty to allow us limited free will.
This freedom exacts a terrible price - we would need rescuing and our rescue would cost Christ His life.
Omnipotence is hard for us to grasp but the alternative is frightening: If there is something that God is not in control of then we are in trouble.
And so, while we struggle with a world we can't control and understand, we take comfort with Jeremiah, who in the midst of being besieged by the Babylonians had the faith to say: "Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for you." (Jer32:17)
