Holy Mighty God Almighty

 

I talked to you before about the phrase “Holy

God”, and we talked about God’s Holiness. And today

we continue our talk with this talk about God’s power

as in the phrase “Holy Mighty”.

And we rejoice in God’s power because His

power is in our favor and not against us.

There are strong people who use their power in

destroying, hurting, dominating, intimidating people

and threatening them. But God is Holy in His Might,

He is the Holy and the Mighty and we praise Him in

the Holiness of His might.

God is strong in His ability, strong in His Love,

strong in Hid forgiveness and baring, strong in His

humility and strong in all the good.

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_Strong in His Ability_

This is because He is Almighty. And this is a

characteristic of God’s unique characteristics. No one

is almighty except God.

There are angels who are strong. And we say to

them in (Ps 103) “Bless the LORD, you His angels,

Who excel in strength”. But angels are not almighty.

And all their power originates from God himself. He is

one who grants them strength…

There are powerful humans, and apostles and

saints who do miracles. But this power is not from

them but from God who grants it. Therefore in the

miracle of healing the lame at the Beautiful Temple

Gate when people where amazed St Peter the Apostle

told them: “why do you marvel at this? Or why look

so intently at us, as though by our own power or

godliness we had made this man walk?” then he

directed their minds to the Lord Jesus Christ in whose

name the miracle was done (Act 3:12-16).

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God is Almighty. And of God’s power: doing

miracles and wonders and they are many among

which we mention creation and raising the

dead.

Those two miracles are part of the belief of all

religions. And no one is capable of doing them except

God alone. And in spite of all what humans reached in

fascinating science no one is capable of creating. All

what the human can do is be a maker not a creator.

And he makes out of a material created by God. And

he uses in making it a mind that was given to him by

God…

And so is raising the dead. No one is capable of

doing it except God alone. On death all human power,

science, geniuses and cleverness stand still. And

God’s power remain to be the only capable of raising

the dead not only a specific person but in the General

Raising Day He will raise all…

Added to that is His power to heal from

incurable diseases and disabilities.

His power to grant sight to the blind, heal the

deaf and the leper, cast out demons and return sanity

to the demon-possessed and epileptics.

And we also mention God’s power over

nature.

Like His power in rebuking the winds and sea,

dividing the Red Sea, bring water out of the rock,

sends Manna and Quails from heaven… And His ability

to bless the five loaves and the two fishes to feed

thousands of people.

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And as God’s power revealed in doing miracles, it

also is apparent in rescuing His lovers.

_In Rescuing_

God’s power was apparent in rescuing the three

young men from the Fiery Furnace.

… The young men in the Fiery Furnace. How did

God save them in this strong fire? But it did not burn

them “The fire did not have power over their bodies

and the hair of their head was not singed. They were

loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are

not hurt, and there was a fourth with them and the

form of the fourth is like the Son of God” (Dn 3:25-

27)… How wonderful is God’s power over fire…

Also Prophet Daniel who was cast in the den of

lions and they did not hurt him but he said: “My God

sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths” (Dn 6:22).

We add to this how God saved St Peter His Apostle

from prison (Act 12), and His Apostle St Paul from

prison too. And how God was with the young man

David in fighting Goliath the Giant when David said to

this giant: “This day the LORD will deliver you into my

hand” (1 S 17:46)… And David slung him with a stone

that God made it strike this giant in his forehead and

he died…

Truly as the chanter said in the psalm: “If it had not

been the LORD who was on our side, When men rose

up against us, Then they would have swallowed us

alive, When their wrath was kindled against us;” until

he said “Our soul has escaped as a bird from the

snare of the fowlers; The snare is broken, and we

have escaped. Our help is in the name of the LORD,

Who made heaven and earth.” (Ps 123).

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Truly, God is powerful in rescuing His lovers and

He also is strong in His Love.

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_Strong in His Love_

Because of His love, He gave us the grace of

existence and so He created us while we did not exist.

And because of His strong love, He gave us the

blessing and gave us power over all the Earth

creatures. But more than this, out of His deep love to

us, He created us according to His Likeness.

And God’s continuous giving is another

evidence of His love…

He, in His love, gives us what we ask for and

even more that what we ask for. And He goes further

to giving us without us asking. And our of His love He

took care of us, sent us the Law and prophets and

opened for us the door of repentance when we sin.

We may love those who love us. But God

loved even those who resisted Him.

He loved sinners and led them to repentance. And

loved atheists and led them to faith. Loved those who

left Him and brought them back to Him. Loved all

people and prepared for them the road of salvation.

He loved Thomas who doubted His resurrection.

And appeared to Him and rescued him from his

doubts. He loved Peter who denied Him three times

and in tenderness and confirmed his apostolicism.

And He also loved those who crucified Him and said:

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they

do.” (Lk 23:34). And in this love He included forgiving

the robber who was crucified with Him and promised

him that this day he will be in Paradise with Him (Lk

23:43).

It is a comprehensive love not only for His

disciples about whom was said that He: “loved His

own who were in the world, He loved them to the

end” (Jn 13:1). But it was God’s power in His love

that He loved the whole world and so was His

redemption.

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_Mighty in His Redemption_

His redemption originated from His love and He

said: “love has no one than this, than to lay down

one's life for his friends” (Jn 15:13). And it was said:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only

begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should

not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn 3:16). And it

was also said: “In this is love, not that we loved God,

but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the

propitiation for our sins” (1 Jn 4:10).

The power of God’s redemption was in His love to

us and because it was a sufficient redemption to

forgive all sins of all people in all ages.

Also the redemption’s strength was shown

in His humility.

Because for our redemption He “made Himself of

no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and

coming in the likeness of men. 8And being found in

appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and

became obedient to the point of death, even the

death of the cross.” (Phil 2:7,8).

And here we mention another point in His power

which is His bearing.

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_Strong in His Bearing_

We say about Him in the Divine Liturgy: “You

bore the oppression of the evil” because He bore the

bitter criticism and evil accusations that was directed

to Him.

They accused Him of being “a glutton and a

winebibber” and that He is “a friend of tax collectors

and sinners”. He was also accused of being the Law

destroyer, that He did not keep the Saturday, He is

against Caesar and that He casts out demons by

Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons. Imagine that

they even went far to the extent of saying to Him:

“Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and

have a demon?” (Jn 8:48)!!

All without Him answering back setting a

punishment that they deserve but He was as prophet

Isaiah said about Him in his prophecy: “He was

oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not

His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,

And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He

opened not His mouth” (Is 53:7).

He also bared their challenges at the crucifix

time: “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If

He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from

the cross, and we will believe Him.”, “You who

destroy the temple and build it in three days, save

Yourself” (Mt 27:40-43).

In strength He bared scourging, slapping on His

face and mocking and He did not hide His face from

the shame of spitting. He bared thorns, nails and

disgrace. He bared the betrayal of those to whom He

made good, they all left Him and requested His

crucifix. He also bared the passions of the cross and

all what was said about Him in psalm 22.

Therefore we praise Him in the Holy Week (the

Passions Week) and say at every hour “You have the

power, the glory, …”.

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And He was powerful in forgiving sins which does

not go with His nature as the Holy:

_Strong in His Forgiveness_

He forgave all sine Adam and Eve across ages till

the end of days, His forgiveness is given to all those

who believe in Him and repent.

He forgave the Soldier Longinus who pierced His

side with a spear when He was on the cross, and lead

him to faith and martyrdom and his name was

mentioned in the Synexarion. And so to Arianus the

governor of Antinoe (Ansena) the severest prosecutor

to the church, during the time of Emperor Diocletian

(Diqlidianus), and became himself a martyr and his

name was mentioned in the Synexarion as one.

And in the power of His forgiveness He gave

forgiveness to the prostitute who washed His feet

with her tears (Lk 7), and to the woman who was

caught in adultery (Jn 8). He forgave Zacchaeus the

chief tax collector and came to his house and said:

“Today salvation has come to this house” (Lk 19:9).

And forgave those who repented and converted them

to saints like St Augustine, Moses the Black, the

Coptic Mariam, Bilagia and many others who were like

them…

He truly is powerful in His forgiveness. He forgave

in the past ad still is forgiving…

He forgave communists who denied His existence

and lead them to believe in Him and forgave those

who came to Him on the eleventh hour (Mt 20:9) and

became a symbol of those who repent at the end of

their lives like the right hand robber…

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_God’s Children are Powerful_

Finally if God is powerful this much in

everything then we must be also powerful

because we were created on His Likeness and

because we are His children.

God’s children are supposed to be strong and this

does not contradict with the fact that they can be

humble and gentle. Humility is powerful. They can be

strong in personality, in their good behavior in no

pride, arrogance or vanity.

Strong in facing sin and defeating it, as St

Peter the apostle says “Be sober, be vigilant; because

your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring

lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him,

steadfast in the faith” (1 P 5:8,9).

And even youths, St John the apostle commends

their strength and behavior and says: “I have written

to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the

word of God abides in you, And you have overcome

the wicked one.” (1 Jn 2:14).

Truly, the life of righteousness requires us to be

strong. And the virtue of self-control needs strength.

And steadfastness in God requires strength. So be

strong.

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Be also strong in your service and in building

the Kingdom…

Then you will have the strength of the word and

its effect on others. And your Holy lives will have the

power of attracting others to the life of holiness.

And in serving others you will have the strong

love that takes care of every soul and its salvation.

So you may love people as God loved you and as He

loves them too and say with St Paul the apostle “Who

is made to stumble, and I do not burn with

indignation?” (2 Co 11:29).

You will have strength in giving and sacrificing.

You will also have strength in bearing as St Paul

the apostle said: “We then who are strong ought to

bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please

ourselves” (Ro 15:1). This is because the one who

bears is the strong certainly. But the one who does

not bare and gets angry and furious is weak from

inside…

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God’s children were strong and so were the

faith heroes.

We remember St Athanasious the apostolic who

strongly defended faith and bore being exiled more

than ones and the Arians conspiracies until it was said

to him: The world is against you. And he answered:

and I am against the world. And they gave him the

title “Contra Mondum”. And yet he remained strong

and steady until he delivered to us the faith safely.

Also St Stephen the first deacon was steady in

preaching Christianity to the extent that he stood in

front of three Synagogues of Philosophers and it was

said in this that “they were not able to resist the

wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke” (Acts

6:10). He was also strong in his martyrdom for as he

was dying he said about those who stoned him:

“Lord, do not charge them with this sin” (Acts 7:60).

And he was also strong in his spiritualities and it was

said about him that during his trial: “all who sat in the

council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as

the face of an angel” (Acts 6:15).

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There is also the strong personality and the

strong relation with God from which you gain all

strength as St Paul the Apostle said:

“I can do all things through Christ who

strengthens me.” (Phil 4:13)

And as the Lord Jesus Christ promised: “all things

are possible to him who believes” (Mk 9:23). So if

you have strength in your faith then you will have all

things possible in God’s grace that works in you. And

as you gain more power become more humble

because the power does not come from you but from

God who grants it.