Sticks and Stones: Limitation of Power

The last three weeks we have been looking at the story of David and Goliath. By now all of you should know what happens in the story. David, who is just a boy, kills Goliath, a behemoth of a giant, despite the fact that David had all the disadvantages, and that the appearances showed that Goliath should win. In fact, I said, it should not surprise anybody that the little guy, the underdog, the person that was supposed to lose, would win because the underdog had the advantage of disadvantage. There were difficulties that the underdog had to overcome to face the giant, and when you take that into account and make it a part of that equation, you begin to see that there is a limitation of power that comes from somewhere you cannot access. That is what we’re talking about today. In a Book titled, “Zechariah”, in the Old Testament, there is a passage that says, “So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty” (Zechariah 4:6). What the prophet Zechariah was saying to this guy named Zerubbabel was simple: things are going to happen because of God and nothing else besides God can say otherwise. Zerubbabel was the grandson of the last King of Israel. Zerubbabel was made a governor over Israel when the Babylonians let them free and go back home after being slaves for a long time. This passage makes us think that if it’s not by might or power, but by God’s spirit, what are some things we missed out on because we thought we did not have the strength or power to go and do or overcome those things? Is it making friends? Is it applying for certain jobs? Maybe it was applying to certain schools or teams. The list can go on about the list of opportunities that we may have missed because we thought it was about power and strength, when it was really only about the Spirit of God. There is a limitation to power that God’s Spirit does not have. Let’s look at 1 Samuel 17 verse 33. “ Saul replied, ‘You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.’” Saul  and the Israelites looked at the power deficit and allowed it to define them. ⁴⁵ David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. ⁴⁷ All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” Write this down: A lack of power should never define who you are. If you lead with God, you cannot fail. If you trust in God’s Spirit, He will not lead you astray. When you are in the Spirit of God then there will be no difficulty, no appearance, no disadvantages and no power gap that will keep you from becoming the glory God wants displayed to the whole world through your life. It’s your choice. Will you be like David and believe that the limitation of power means nothing to God or will you be like Saul and allow your limited power define who you can become. Let’s pray.