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| A Seal Suggesting a Class of Omnipotence? |
I
have heard in ringing tones of the omnipotence of God. What human
needs does an omnipotent God fulfill? Humanity desperately feels its
own limitations—though this feeling can be assiduously repressed.
One result of this is that mankind is preoccupied with power. We
want to have a strong God on our side when fighting our various
battles. An omnipotent God fulfills this need and is the ultimate
answer to any threat posed by man's various frailties. Divine power
also functions to make man equal—for in the light of God's vast
superior power, all mankind is pretty much in the same boat.
Ironically, God's power is frequently appropriated as one's own and
mankind will go to battle assured that they are God's favorite—may
the force be with you.
A
sermon I am waiting to hear is one on God's humility. There is the
example of the Son of God who became a suffering servant. And God
from the beginning refrained from eliminating man's free will. But I
have never seen or heard a full, explicit vetting of the humility of
God himself. One reason may be that from the human perspective
humility only comes when forced upon us. We are humble ourselves
only when we have no other choice. Overwhelmingly, the quality
sought to be telegraphed by any type of human power structure is one
of dominance—even when occasionally cloaked in a cheerful smile.
It
is my belief that the attributes of an omnipotent God are often a
projection upon the Deity of man's deep hunger for power. Apparently
man has felt no similar compelling need for a humble God. This is
due to a recurring, inveterate belief that humility is weakness.
Humility from our point of view would make God a wimp. As long as
this crippling belief haunts the nature of man and his view of God,
we are in deep doo-doo with a stench that permeates all our ways. We
come sadly at last to desire omnipotence in ourselves and as a
nation.
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