How can we trust God's power in our lives, as seen in Job 26:12? Setting the Scene • Job surveys creation and points to the sea—an emblem of chaos no human can tame. • “By His power He stirred the sea; by His understanding He shattered Rahab” (Job 26:12). • “Rahab” is Scripture’s poetic name for the primordial sea monster and, later, for Egypt—any force that threatens God’s people. • Job’s statement is literal history in miniature: God’s might once quelled the waters at creation (Genesis 1:9–10) and later split the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21–22). • The same unchanging power is available to His covenant people today (Malachi 3:6). What Job Declares About God’s Power • God’s power is active (“He stirred the sea”)—not distant or theoretical. • God’s power is intelligent (“by His understanding”)—never random. • God’s power is victorious (“He shattered Rahab”)—no enemy can stand. Linking Cosmic Power to Personal Life 1. The sea symbolizes turmoil—external crises, internal anxieties, cultural storms. 2. Rahab represents adversaries—spiritual opposition, overwhelming odds, systemic evil. 3. If God once subdued literal seas and crushed a literal monster, He can handle the waves and monsters we face. 4. The Creator of oceans is never outmatched by the problems that wash onto our shore. Reasons We Can Trust His Power Today • God’s record is flawless – Psalm 89:9–10: “You rule the raging sea; when its waves mount up, You still them. You crushed Rahab like a corpse.” – History verifies what Job confessed; God has never failed to make good on His might. • God’s power is revealed in Christ – Mark 4:39: “Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the sea. ‘Silence! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and it was perfectly calm.” – The same voice that stilled Galilee speaks peace into our present storms. • God’s power is pledged to believers – Ephesians 1:19–20 describes “the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe… He exerted this power in Christ when He raised Him from the dead.” – Resurrection power is not a museum piece; it is “toward us”—active on our behalf. • God’s authority is total – Matthew 28:18: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.” – Authority seated in heaven governs everything under heaven’s dome, including our daily details. Living Responses to His Power • Speak truth to turmoil – When waves rise, rehearse Job 26:12 aloud. – Replace “the sea” with your specific challenge: “By His power He stirs my finances… my diagnosis… my prodigal child.” • Submit rather than strive – Because His power is absolute, self-reliance is unnecessary. – Psalm 46:10: “Be still and know that I am God.” • Step out in obedience – Knowing the sea cannot swallow us, we obey without hesitation—sharing the gospel, forgiving enemies, taking faith-filled risks. • Expect victorious outcomes – 2 Corinthians 2:14: “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ.” – “Always” is as literal as the parted Red Sea. Encouraging Reminders from Other Scriptures • Isaiah 51:9–10—The arm that “cut Rahab to pieces” is the same arm that “made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to pass over.” • Jeremiah 32:17—“Ah, Lord GOD! You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power… nothing is too difficult for You.” • Romans 8:38–39—No created thing (including seas or monsters) “will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Trust grows as we remember: the God who stirs seas still steers lives. |
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