The Omnipotence of God

Genesis 18:14

“Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”

2 Chronicles 20:6

“O LORD God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?”

Daniel 4:35

“All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing;

He does according to His will in the army of heaven

And among the inhabitants of the earth.”

My last meditation was on the incomprehensibility of God. I came to the conclusion that although there are some aspects of God that He has hidden from us, it would be greatly beneficial to find out about what He has revealed to us about His character. This time I would like to meditate on his omnipotence.

This topic isn't as clear-cut as it may seem at first. Can God really do anything? God is omnipotent. However omnipotence does not mean that God can do anything. He can't do anything. He can't lie. He cannot die. He cannot be created. He can't act against His own nature. Rather, omnipotence means that God has power so that He can do anything He wants to do. Since He is God, there is no chance that He would even want to lie, die, or act against His own nature.

I think scripture reveals that God's omnipotence has a three-fold meaning. Firstly He does whatever He pleases. That's revealed in Daniel 4:35. “He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth.” God's not like us. He does whatever He desires. The only thing stopping Him from doing something is His own will. If He desires something to happen, He will carry it out. See also Psalm 115:3 and Isaiah 46:9-10.

Secondly God's omnipotence means He can't be stopped from doing whatever he attempts to do. That's implied by Genesis 18:14. Nothing is too hard for the LORD. He has enough power to do anything He wants. No power in the universe can stop Him.

Thirdly we learn that God's power is superior to all other powers. That's proven by 2 Chronicles 20:6. God not only rules over all other beings, but also has more power than any of them. Yes, even Satan is ruled by God. Ezekiel 28:16-17,

“By the abundance of your trading
You became filled with violence within,
And you sinned;
Therefore I cast you as a profane thing
Out of the mountain of God;
And I destroyed you, O covering cherub,
From the midst of the fiery stones.
Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty;
You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor;
I cast you to the ground,
I laid you before kings,
That they might gaze at you.”

An omnipotent God requires reverence. God is omnipotent. Let's not argue with Him. “Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it” (Job 40:2). See also Romans 9:20-21.

However, what a comfort this omnipotence is! Firstly we can be sure that those that scoff and oppress us will be destroyed by God. They cannot resist Him in the last days.

“Surely You set them in slippery places;
You cast them down to destruction.
Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment!
They are utterly consumed with terrors.” (Psalm 73:18-19)

Secondly we can be sure that God will fulfill all His promises to us, not only because He is willing but also He is able as almighty and omnipotent God! We are protected by omnipotence. We are protected by a God that has more power than anything else in the universe. As Psalm 91 says,

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.” (Verses 1-2)

In all our troubles we can know that God is for us. And if He is for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31)?