Awaiting Cosmic Power

What powers did our first ancestors lose when they fell to sin? Do we get those powers back in the resurrection? If we do, then hopefully we’ll better understand how to use them. 

Genesis 12:1-17:27; Isaiah 40:27-41:16; Matthew 8:23-27, 9:1-8; Ephesians 6:10-20

Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Awaiting Cosmic Power

 

 

People like me who grew up in church tend to overlook the phenomenal power of the Creator on display throughout the scriptures. We have heard the stories so often that we have lost the amazement at what our God can do, and our awe at who he is.

With that in mind, take a fresh look at this story about Messiah Yeshua:

And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

Matthew 8:23-27 ESV

Let’s set aside the exotic location of the Sea of Galilee in this account and think of times we have been in violent storms. Hurricanes, tornados, and blizzards are terrifying of themselves, but imagine being on the water, or on the highway, when such a storm hits. That’s when we cry out to God as the disciples cried out to Yeshua. We, like they, instinctively know that the Creator has the power to bring us through the storm, or even to calm the weather should he so choose. There is a prophetic statement in Proverbs about this:

Who has ascended to heaven and come down?

Who has gathered the wind in his fists?

Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?

Who has established all the ends of the earth?

What is his name, and what is his son’s name?

Surely you know!

Proverbs 30:4 ESV

Calming the storm wasn’t the only evidence Yeshua presented of the power of God operating in and through him. Another example occurred just a few days later:

And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus [Yeshua] saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

Matthew 9:2-7 ESV

The power of God is the key element. In these two stories, Messiah Yeshua, being in human form, exercised the power of God over weather, sickness, and sin. We know that God takes care of the sin problem through the atoning work of Messiah, and through the terms of the New Covenant in which our hearts and minds are rewired to know and follow his Torah. The atonement deals with the offenses against God of which we are collectively guilty, and with our new hearts we guard against future offenses. Does that therefore qualify us to wield power such as Yeshua demonstrated?

This brings up the question of what powers our first ancestors had before they fell to sin in the Garden of Eden. There was no adverse weather or sickness before the Fall, but would they have had power over such things had they existed? Did their dominion over the earth give them the authority to hold back such evil?

The next question is this: will we regain such power, and perhaps more, in the Messianic Age?

God’s people already work miracles, but only as he permits. We do not have authority to work whatever changes to nature that we desire. Even our father Abraham did not have that power. When God made his covenant of redemption with Abraham, the Patriarch was hard pressed just to keep the vultures off the sacrificial offerings while waiting for God to do his part. When God passed between the pieces of the offerings, he brought the intervention of cosmic power into our human reality. Abraham couldn’t do that, but he could prepare the ground and wait for God to act.

That is as is should be, even in the restored creation of the resurrection. Imagine if we had the power to alter nature as we want. We could then push hurricanes away from our shores, but would they then impact someone else’s shoresꟷperhaps someone less equipped to deal with the devastation? We could heal everyone we touch, even those who are learning indispensable lessons about trusting God through their infirmities. In other words, we would have just as much probability of doing unintended harm even in our well-intentioned efforts to do good.

That’s the real lesson of this fallen world. We still have authority over our own spheres of influence, however small. We learn to exercise dominion within those spheres, respecting the boundaries our Creator has given us. Ultimately, he is the one who holds all power and authority. Whatever we have is what he delegates. That’s why Paul exhorts us to stand firm after having done everything we can. After all, if we had the power of God, why would we need God? That’s why, in our perfected state, we will know to wait on his cosmic power.

Cover image generated by Grok, created by xAI.

Music: “Song of Glory,” The Exodus Road Band, Heart of the Matter, 2016.

This meditation was inspired in part by The Echoes Bible, vol. I, Genesis & Matthew. The Echoes Bible is available at https://www.echoesbible.com/.