Ablaze for God - Day 4 Devotional

“The Extended Hand”
Submitted by Tim Young
Key text: Ezra 8:22

There is something in the immense power of Hurricanes like Gustav or Katrina, (which I witnessed firsthand through cleanup and rebuilding) that strangely reminds me of my Dad.

Maybe this happens to most kids when they’re little, but I thought my Dad was the strongest man alive. Not that he was a body builder with muscles that were grotesquely huge. Rather, Dad knew how to use leverage and harness force to produce the power he possessed. And, his strength gave our family a sense of security and protection. I just knew that with Dad around I would be safe, provided for and secure.

Even as I grew up and into adulthood, I saw Dad as a man who could move mountains. Was he perfect? Nope. As we both got older, Dad was no longer capable of moving mountains. And, I came to realize he possessed a different kind of power. The power of influence. As I look back today I’m reminded that the power he left behind was in his wise counsel, his experience and his love.

Now that Dad is gone, the first thing that comes to mind is not a weak man lying in a fetal position in a nursing home ravaged by disease, but a man as strong as a ox in more ways than one!

We as Christians are empowered to be people of influence, capable of moving mountains. God has placed His hand on us to be the kind of person that other people come to, for strength, for discernment, and most important--- for love.

To keep God’s hand upon us, we need to make sure that we are staying in His will by reading daily His Word, by keeping in constant communication with Him in prayer, and by having the eyes and hearts of Jesus for those who have not yet felt God’s hand upon them.

If you haven’t felt God’s hand upon you yet, I encourage you to seek Him. But be ready, because the kind of power He distributes will make you as strong as a ox, not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. You will indeed move mountains and leave in your wake the power of godly influence!