Putting A Leash On A Lion

“[18] having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, [19] and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might [20] that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places” Ephesians 1:18–20

Here in Ephesians, Paul’s prayer is that Believers will fully grasp what Believers have in Christ. We have hope, we are God’s inheritance and we have power in Jesus. What kind of power raises from the dead? One that is “immeasurably great”. This is the power that resides inside those who call God “Father”. This is the power Jesus promised when we received the Holy Spirit.

Why would we ever want to suppress or limit this immeasurably great power in our lives by seeking after worthless, temporal things? When we do, we seek to tame God. To serve our own idols is to set God aside along with His power. In serving our own agenda there is no room to serve God. We redefine His role, marginalizing Him in the fringes of our existence instead of heralding Him as our King.

With a few sentences below, John Stott helps us see the futility of backing God into our own little corner; marginalizing Him so that we can exalt ourselves or our idols. How can we corner, limit or box-in a God who is omnipotent and omnipresent? It seems like a fool’s errand. Like attempting to put a leash on a lion. However, we find our selves trying to do that very thing time and time again. We must always let Him be who He is – no manipulation, no redefining, no opinions, no leash – just our God and Father as revealed in His word. His is our King and is worthy of Lordship. Think about Stott’s brilliant words here:

“To localize God, confining Him within limits which we impose, whereas He is the Creator of the universe.

To domesticate God, making Him dependent on us, taming and taping Him, whereas He is the Sustainer of human life.

To alienate God, blaming Him for His distance and His silence, whereas He is the Ruler of nations, and not far from any of us.

To dethrone God, demoting Him to some image of our own contrivance or craft, whereas He is our Father from whom we derive our being.

In brief, all idolatry tries to minimize the gulf between the Creator and His creatures, in order to bring Him under our control.”

Help us, Lord, to see you as you truly are. Help us to allow you free reign in our hearts. Run rampant in every corner of our lives. Rush into the shadows and expose who we really are, sinners who are desperately weak and in need of your resurrection power.

Does God have complete access to every corner of your life? Are you open and willing to open the deep and dark reaches of your heart? Let Him invade your life fully and watch the Spirit work something new inside of you.