Our lives are filled with all kinds of different challenges. We often find ourselves at a loss as to what to do or how to respond. The challenges in our lives often leave us feeling trapped. Yet the Bible reminds us that we have one of the greatest real powers available to man that truly was given to us by the True God. I will refer to it as our “Greatest Christian Superpower” but it is actually one of many such powers available to the follower of Jesus.
I was recently talking to someone that was very frustrated about an injustice in their lives. The situation involves, what I would call, the abuse of power. The challenge with these type of offenses, our first response is to retaliate. If someone hurts us, let’s say that they say or do something, our first response is to fight back. We may want to respond with hurtful words, or to retaliate with hurtful actions. I recently saw a video where a person caught their partner cheating on them. The video showed this crazy person remodeling a very expensive car. Now, if you have ever been in that position you know some of the emotions that person was feeling (even though the response was wrong.) So how should the follower of Jesus respond to those unfair situations in life? This is where your Super Power comes into play.
Let me set the stage before we talk about one of the awesome superpowers that you have as a Christian. The Apostle Paul speaks directly to how we respond to these type of situations in 2 Corinthians 10. First he reminds us that the Christian response must be different than the response from the person that does not yet know Jesus. “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.” (2 Corinthians 10:3) he reminds us that we live in a broken world and that people hurt people because of sin. He describes this as “walking in the flesh.” But he also reminds us that our response should not be like everyone else, “we are not waging war according to the flesh.” Just in case you are wondering what this is talking about, it is talking about settling the score. It is one reason that so many people that do not know the Bible like the Old Testament verse “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth!” He is referring to a response that comes from our old nature. Then he reminds us that we respond in a different way, “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” (2 Corinthians 10:4)
One of the “Greatest Christian Superpowers” is, wait for it…. Prayer! The Bible is overloaded with reminders on the power of Prayer that is available for you and it only costs you your time. Yet, when prayer is released from your mind you are drawing upon God’s power and help for the current situation. The one verse that comes to mind is, “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6–7) Paul, here, reminds us that while prayer enlists God’s assistance, one of the greatest benefits is that it changes us on the inside. It brings peace to our hearts drowning in conflict. We also see that this peace allows us to be content even though we cannot connect all the dots to figure out what and why something is happening.
The most frustrating situations in life are those that we have no ability to change, but we do know a God that can make a difference. The greatest answer to prayer in these situations is first changing us. Let’s worry less and prayer more.
-Pastor Joe Parkinson