New Reminders: Power
by Ardith Hoff
There are many types of power, from the mechanical power of machines to lift or move vast amounts of physical materials to the power of AI to analyze and manipulate vast amounts of data. Power is usually thought of, in a physical context, as the amount of force required to move something a certain distance in a certain amount of time. For example, it takes the energy exerted by one horse to draw a cart forward a certain distance in a certain amount of time, while in an automobile, mechanical power is multiplied many times to exert the equivalent of the force of many horses to move the car a similar distance in far less time. This kind of comparison is one way to help ordinary people understand the abstract concept of power. Most of us are content to leave it to physicists and engineers to understand the precise calculations involved in measuring and applying physical power.
Political power is embodied in a system that determines how rules and laws are structured, created, and enforced in order to govern whole groups of people and is used to determine how whole countries will operate. The people at various levels of authority are the ones who decide how that power is used for the people who live within that system. In a true democracy, power ideally resides with the people being governed. In a representative democracy, there are almost always many disagreements about how the people, and their representatives should assert their power.
In a spiritual context, God is considered to have unlimited power and is the source of all creation and ability to influence the world. That kind of power can be seen as a form of energy or force that can be tapped into through various practices like meditation, prayer, or faith. In some spiritual traditions, individuals are believed to receive spiritual gifts or abilities that come from God who is seen as a supernatural being that is the source of all power.
The Bible is the written authority in the Judeo-Christian tradition, and it portrays religious governance, not as a democracy, but as a benevolent kingdom, with God as the supreme ruler, and we the people as willing subjects of His governing power. Christians believe that God is a merciful ruler, and that through His great love and grace, He provided a messiah who was sacrificed for the rest of us who are not capable of living pure and righteous lives and need to be saved. Our job as Christians, is to submit ourselves to God, repent of our sins and to help others repent and be saved by believing in God’s mercy and the salvation He provided through Christ’s death on the cross.
“For God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not parish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16. “But God demonstrated His great love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8. As we say when we pray: “For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.” Matthew 6:13.