Power with God
"Having power" with god
Genesis 32:24-28 KJV – “ And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.”
I remember the overwhelming joy that I felt as a first-time father, when my firstborn son entered the world and drew his first breath. I had the high privilege of welcoming a precious new soul into the family. Over the course of the next several months, as he began to develop, I experienced the utter joy of witnessing the dawning of intelligence. I rejoiced when I saw him smile for the first time; how he became so excited when he began to recognize my face and the sound of my voice when I called his name.
I took the utmost delight in his adorable cooing as he valiantly attempted to mimic my words and communicate with me as I spoke to him. And as I gazed upon his face, and looked into his eyes, what I saw created a powerful surge of love within me that was so overwhelming that all I could do was shower him with kisses and hugs and swing him high into the air. This brought forth high pitched squeals of laughter and delight, which made me continue to play with him even more.
This process was repeated with each new addition to my family, two more children, another son and a daughter. It never got old.
What did I see in my son’s face, in his eyes, that caused such a powerful reaction in my heart? I saw innocence. I saw purity. I saw joy. I saw vulnerability. I saw love for, and complete trust in me. My son had power with me, because of the great love that I have for him.
At night, when he would wake up crying, no matter how tired I was, no matter how late it was, even though I needed sleep to go to work the next day, I would get up, take him out of the crib, cradle him in my arms and gladly walk up and down the living room floor rocking him and talking to him until he feel asleep again. Why did I do this?
Because my son had power with me, power to move my heart to act on his behalf, regardless of the situation, because of the great love that I have for him.
You see, my son didn’t have to do anything to earn this love. My love was his simply because he exists. He bears my image. He bears my name. He is mine. As a baby, he possessed a powerful influence over me because of who he is, whose he is, and his complete dependence on me.
You have power with God because of His great love for you. You have the power to influence the Majesty of Heaven. Why? Because He created you – because He loves you. You bear His image and you belong to Him. You are His. Your great need of Him and utter dependence upon Him binds you with silken cords of affection to His heart.
You are so valuable to Him that He gave His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for you, so that, one day, you can live with Him forever. What does this say to you about your worth?
So, the next time you look at a cooing young child or see a YouTube video of infants laughing and playing with their parents, carefully observe their faces – look at their bright, toothless smiles, and the sparkle in their eyes. Pay careful attention to how it makes you feel. Notice how your heart warms when you hear their squeals of laughter; how you begin to smile, almost imperceptibly, as your eyes begin to moisten with tears of joy.
Then ask yourself a question. If seeing the innocence, purity, joy and vulnerability of a child that you don’t know personally moves your heart so profoundly, how much more so is this the case when God, your Heavenly Father, looks upon you?
-Christian Sidney
