Do You Believe God Is 'Almighty'?

Our beliefs, Dawn Wilson says, motivate our actions. In this Spiritual Life UPGRADE, she challenges us to think about what we sing and say regarding God's "might."

Ever have a song get stuck in your brain and you ended up singing it all day long? That was me with the hymn, "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty."

As I sang about the God of Creation who "wondrously reigneth"—the One who by the power of His might uplifts and sustains all He has made, the One who prospers our work and defends us, the One who deserves our praise and adoration forever—I suddenly stopped singing.

"Do you believe that?"

Now I'm not sure if that voice was the Lord asking me about the strength of my faith or the enemy tempting me to doubt God's nature (maybe it was a bit of both), but I knew I couldn't ignore that question. What we believe motivates our actions.

So I started thinking about God's might, and opened my Bible because I want to base what I believe on solid truth. Here are some things I discovered.

1. God the Almighty has the ultimate power over all His creation.

He created all things (Genesis 1:3). Everything from the tiniest organism to the largest whales, from a grain of sand to the expansive universe. He made and sustains everything through His power and might.

The Lord first shared His name, "God, the All-powerful One," (El Shaddai) with Abram in Genesis 17:1, saying, "I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless." We see the name again in communications with and between the biblical patriarchs (Genesis 28:3; 35:11; 43:14; 48:3; and 49:25).

God wanted Abram and his descendants to know He is not at all like the gods of the nations surrounding Israel. His power is beyond all other powers in the great universe He created. His power is unlimited and great (Job 37). 

He does as He pleases because He is the sovereign God! (Psalm 115:3; Isaiah 46:9-10; Daniel 4:35) His purposes cannot be stopped. He is eternally good and just and we have no right to accuse Him when we don't understand His ways (Job 40:2; Romans 9:20-21).

We can take refuge in His strong love and protection (Psalm 46:1; Proverbs 18:10).

2. God the Almighty performs wonders and miracles.

The Lord does "marvelous things beyond number" (Job 9:10). He can do more in and through us than we can ever think to ask or even imagine (Ephesians 3:20). This should inspire us to come boldly to the throne of God and ask for great things (Hebrews 4:16), because God may want to give them to us for our good and for His glory.

Sometimes, I think, God even more honored when we don't know what to ask — when we simply see where He is working and hop on board. It's not our agenda we ask Him to bless, but rather His mighty plans, that He may alllow us to participate in with joy.

God is working in powerful and mighty ways. We just need to be alert to see Him at work!

3. God the Almighty is awesome and great.

Moses described Him as the "God of Gods and Lord of Lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God" (Deuteronomy 10:17). When we come to the Lord, we must come with a sense of awe, wonder and holy fear.

The name "God Almighty" should inspire us to revere Him and give Him the glory due His name (Psalm 29:1b-2; 1 Samuel 12:24). His splendor is beyond our comprehension.

Just spend some time looking at the stars to get a tiny glimpse of God's might and majesty.

The heaven's declare His glory, and all things He has made are evidences of His "eternal power and divine nature" (Psalm 19:1-3; Romans 1:20).

4. God the Almighty will righteously judge those who reject Him.

We don't like to think about this aspect of God's might, but it is true. Revelation 19:15 describes the "recompense" of God—the "fury of the wrath of God the Almighty."

The Lord desires for all to be saved, but some will not believe the gospel of Christ (1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Thessalonians 1:8). (The Apostle Paul recognized the importance of praying for and evangelizing the lost, because we do not know the hearts of men.)

He is the Maker and the Master! Someday every knee will bow before Him (Romans 14:11; Philippians 2:10).

5. God the Almighty draws us into a personal relationship.

God said to Moses, "...I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them" (Exodus 6:2-3).

It is this aspect of the Almighty God that most touches my heart.

When God the Son came in the flesh to die on a cross so our sins could be forgiven, the true wonder of His might was made manifest in our hearts. Jesus died to redeem us, reconcile us and  restore us to the Father. 

Anyone who trusts in this provision by the Almighty One will find sweet refuge (Psalm 91:1-2; Proverbs 14:26).

God, the Almighty, protects His own. This does not mean we will not suffer—maybe even a martyr's death—but that our refuge is in Christ forever. We are rescued and we will not perish (John 3:16-17; Romans 8:31-39). The Lord is "mighty to save"! (Zephaniah 3:17)

6. God the Almighty evidences power in His children.

One of the blessings of our restored relationship with God is His power working in and through us.

"...be strong in the Lord, relying on His mighty strength" (Ephesians 6:10)

"...The people who do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits" (Daniel 11:32).

The hymn encourages us:

"Ponder anew what the Almighty can do, if with His love He befriends you."

Do you believe God is Almighty? How does believing that motivate your life? Are you seeing God's power manifest in your life and ministry?

Dawn Wilson, founder and President of Heart Choices Today, is a speaker and author, and the creator of three blogs: Heart Choices Today, LOL with God (with Pam Farrel), and Upgrade with Dawn. She is contracted researcher for Revive Our Hearts and a writer for Crosswalk.com. She and her husband Bob have two grown, married sons, three granddaughters and a rascally maltipoo, Roscoe.