God's Essence - Omnipotence
God is all-powerful. We call this His omnipotence. His power has no limits (Psalm 147:5). We have already studied that God is eternal and sovereign; so His power has existed eternally and is supreme. No creature is more powerful than God (Psalm 74:13). His power is evident in His creation of the universe (Job 26:7; Psalm 8:3; 93:1) and all that is in it, in His creation of angels (Colossians 1:16; Psalm 148:2, 5; Nehemiah 9:6), and in His creation of mankind (Isaiah 40:26; 44:24; Jeremiah 27:5). The Bible tells us Jesus Christ holds the universe together by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3).
Divine omnipotence guarantees that “nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). God promises to provide all our needs—everything we need to accomplish His plan. His omnipotence guarantees there is no need that is too difficult for God to supply to us. God’s omnipotence means He can do anything as long as it does not violate the other characteristics of His essence. For example, God could not forgive sin without first having His righteousness and justice satisfied by the substitutionary work of Christ on the cross. He cannot contradict His own eternal nature. God never uses His power foolishly, nor does He ever abuse His power. Either would violate His perfect righteousness. That is why God will only grant requests made in prayer that are in accordance with His will (1 John 5:14-15).
During His ministry on this earth, Jesus Christ voluntarily limited the independent use of His power to those circumstances required by the plan of God the Father (Philippians 2:6, 7). That is why even though He had limitless compassion, He did not heal everyone with whom He came into contact. His miracles were limited to those that were a part of the Father’s plan in revealing the deity of Christ as the Messiah.
God has limitless energy; He does not get tired; He never sleeps. When we need energy for doing His will, He provides it. God always provides what we need (Philippians 4:19), so we must carry on no matter how we feel. Don’t make the fact that you are tired an excuse for not learning the Word of God and carrying out His plan.
God’s power as a part of His divine essence is a great comfort to the believer in time of need. Job 42:2 states, “I know that You can do all things, and that no plan is impossible for You.” God’s power was demonstrated throughout Israel’s history, from the Exodus generation and the ten plagues in their deliverance from Egypt, to the parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:13-14), to the provision of water and manna in the desert (Exodus 17:6; Exodus 16:4). Like many Old Testament heroes, David witnessed the power of God for deliverance in battle (1 Samuel 17:47; Psalm 24:8). No matter how bad our personal circumstances or even how desperate national circumstances like the rioting and looting we just witnessed in KwaZulu-Natal, we must always remember that Almighty God is our refuge. Deuteronomy 33:27 says, “The eternal God is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms; and He drove out the enemy from you, and said, ‘Destroy!’” His omnipotence guarantees that “nothing is impossible with God” (Luke1:37; Mark 10:27).
And most importantly, remember that God has made His power available to believers so that we can live the spiritual life and fulfill His plan for each one of us. That power includes the filling of the Holy Spirit, the power of the Word of God in our souls, and the power of faith in His promises (1 Corinthians 2:5; Ephesians 1:19-20; 2 Peter 1:3).
Memory verse: “One who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!” (Psalm 91:1-2).