God's Power Is Manifest In Creation

The apostle Paul explained that our Creator's 'eternal power can be clearly perceived in the things he has made.' (Romans 1:20) Centuries earlier, the psalmist David, who as a shepherd must frequently have looked up at the night sky perceived the grandeur of the universe and the might of its Maker. He wrote: "When I see your heavens, the works of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have prepared, what is mortal man that you keep him in mind, and the son of earthling man that you take care of him? (Psalm 8:2, 4) Despite his limited knowledge of celestial bodies, David understood that he was very insignificant in comparison with the Creator or our vast universe. Today, astronomers know much more about the immensity of the universe and the power that sustains it. For example they tell us that our sun every second emits energy equivalent to the explosion of 100,000 million megatons of TNT. A very small fraction of that energy reaches the earth; yet that is enough to sustain all life on your planet. Still, our sin is by no means the most powerful star in the heavens. Some stars radiate in only one second the energy that the sun radiates in a whole day. Imagine, then, the power at the disposal of the One who created such heavenly bodies! Elihu rightfully exclaimed: "As for the Almighty, we have not found him out; he is exalted in power." - Job 37:23.

If we 'search for God's works' as David did, we will see evidence of his power everywhere -in wind and waves, in thunder and lightning, in mighty rivers and majestic mountains. (Psalm 111:2; Job 26:12-14) Furthermore, as Jehovah reminded Job, animals testify to the strength. Among these is Behemoth, or the hippopotamus. Jehovah told Job: "Its power is in its hips. . . Its strong bones are like wrought iron rods." (Job 40:15-18) The fearsome power of the wild bull was also well-known in Bible times, and David prayed that he might be spared from "the mouth of the lion, and from the horns of the wild bulls." -Psalm 22:21; Job 39:9-11.

Because of its strength, the bull is used in the Bible to symbolize Jehovah's power. The apostle John's vision of Jehovah's throne depicts four living creatures, one of which had a face like a bull. (Revelation 4:6, 7) Evidently, one of the four principal attributes of Jehovah portrayed by these cherubs is power. The others are love, wisdom and justice. Since power is such an important facet of God's personality, a clear understanding of his power and how he uses it will draw us closer to him and helps us to imitate his example by using well any power at our disposal. -Ephesians 5:1.

Next time: "Jehovah Of Armies, The Powerful One"

Awake, 2000