As the river moves, it seems its own power. Mighty waters sweep and churn as if the force is of itself pressing forward, but the force of the water is not of the water; it is of the earth. In its unmoving mass, the earth draws down. Great mass creates the great and powerful motion. By great size, the countless rivers flow, and great life spawns, feeding the sea and the abundance then of the earth. My Father is the immovable of eternity. Faith in Him and the one He has sent, emanates as power unseen, bringing forth great motion in those who believe. “Why do the faithful serve?” they ask. “Why do they give for no return, and grant forgiveness to those who do not show sorrow for their trespass?” “Why do they honor those who have not earned it, and speak kindly of their neighbor?” “Why do they feed those who do not know them, and protect those who realize not their guardian?” “Why do they lift words to the air, and worship a God they do not see?” “Why do they love those who hate and give drink to their enemy?” Faith is the power of the faithful. As the river is drawn by the earth, the Saints of God do not run by their own legs, but rather on the hope of the unseen – the great force of the Father within them, that all might be drawn to the Son. In this blessed motion, great power is displayed as the follower is propelled by his faith. Not in his own strength, rather by faith that saves and allows the lame to leap and run toward his God.
Hebrews 11:32-34 (ESV) – And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.
Acts 17:28a (ESV) – For in Him we live and move and have our being…
Bottom Line: Just as earth’s invisible gravity is the true source of a river’s visible power, our power as Christians is due to the unseen faith that drew us to God in the first place, and gives us the power to run faithfully with Him throughout our lives. When we are really “flowing” in the Spirit, others see our lives and wonder, “Why?” “How do they do it?” “Why do they live like that?” They don’t understand. We walk, work, and interact with the world very differently than what they would expect. We seem to have this power, even through trials, sickness and other challenges. They watch as we walk in a peace and strength they just don’t understand. They may already understand that unseen gravity drives the river, but as we move through our workday, we need to let them see that it is our unseen faith in Jesus Christ that gives us power to live differently, with a power beyond our own.
