John 18:4-6 Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to
him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus
said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew
back and fell to the ground.
One of the great joys of writing
devotionals is the research and prayer.
The opportunity to dive into scripture to research and learn is a true
blessing. This week I found a couple of
stories in my research. The trigger for
the “digging” came from verse 6 of John
18. When Jesus said to them, “I am
he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
Bible commentators have pointed to the power of the name of Jesus as
being recognized, even in the time of Jesus as a powerful name. And that set me
to wondering about our modern day society.
So I looked on-line and found a couple of good examples.
July, 2010. Held up at
gunpoint, a store clerk invoked her faith to turn the desperate thief into a repentant
gunman. When a man tried to rob a MetroPCS cell phone store at gunpoint in
Pompano Beach, Fla., store manager Nayara Goncalves, 20, calmly talked to the
man about Jesus and her faith until he left without taking
any money. Goncalves said she doesn't know why she began to talk to him about
Jesus. "I believe it was the Holy Spirit of God that really made me want
to tell him about Jesus," Goncalves told ABCNews.com
January, 2010. Marian Chadwick used the heftiest weapons she
could find when a man tried to rob her Frisco shop Monday night - her finger
and the power of God. And they worked. Chadwick owns Extravagant Necessities, a
crafts boutique near Stonebriar Country Club. She was finishing a sale with her
last customer of the day when a hooded man walked in, pointed a gun at her and
demanded money. Chadwick told him she had none. He pounded the gun twice on the
counter. "I got mad," said the 57-year old, pursing her lips.
"The Texas part of me was challenged. So I pointed my finger and said, 'In
the name of Jesus, you get out of my store. I bind you by the power of the Holy
Spirit." The gunman took a step
back and told customer Kathy Vereen to drop to the floor. After she refused,
Chadwick pointed her finger at the man and continued to chastise him. He walked
out of the store cursing. He took nothing. Source is the Dallas Morning News.
I
admire the faith and courage of these two women. The Holy Spirit was obviously acting in a
bold way, but the name of Jesus has power you and I can scarce imagine. Yet we should not be surprised. We need only
look at scripture to see proof of the true power of the Lord.
First
we can look in Isaiah 45 21-23 Declare and present your case; let them take
counsel together! Who told this long ago? Who declared it of old? Was it not I,
the Lord? And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior;
there is none besides me. "Turn to
me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no
other. By myself I have sworn; from my
mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: 'To me every
knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.'
Second, we find more proof when we read Philippians 2:9-11. Therefore God has highly exalted him and
bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every
tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
A deep faith places complete trust in the name of
Jesus. A faith that flows freely from
the Father in Heaven whose love knows no bounds. We who are weak tend to trust
that which we can grasp in our hands.
Those who are strong grasp onto what serves them the best, the name of
Jesus. I strive for that kind of faith
and I hope that is also your goal.
Prayer: Father we
look to many times at the physical world for answers and protection when we
should be looking to you. All to often the temptation is there and we reach out
and grab onto something we can touch.
Our faith is weak in those times. Help us to find the faith we need to
trust in You. Let the name of Jesus be
our watchword, our source of strength and salvation. Guide us in Your love to
be strong when we are weak Lord. We ask this in the name of Jesus, Amen.
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