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Now let's jump in. Life is so unpredictable and it makes me feel completely powerless. But guess what? You serve a God who is all-powerful. Let's explore that on today's episode of Clear Your Today.
You're listening to Clearview Today with Dr. Abadan Shah, the daily show that engages mind and heart for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm Ryan Hill. I'm John Galantis. Welcome to the Clearview Today studio.
We're so glad you're tuning in for another great conversation as we are getting to know God. And if you're listening for the very first time today, we want you to text in 252-429-6069. You're going to text the word today, T-O-D-A-Y, if it's your very first time. Or if you've been texting the show, just let us know some things that you'd like to hear us talk about, some questions maybe you have for Dr. Shaw, or a testimony of what God is doing in your life.
Dr. Shaw, the Clearview Today show is a daily radio show. That's right. We're on Monday through Friday on Truth Network, on Pray.com. You can find us on a podcasting platform.
Local radio, lots of ways to listen. YouTube. Which becomes a predictable part of people's day. They can kind of plan their lives around listening to the episodes of Cleaver Today. That's right.
But life, often, other than your favorite podcast or radio show, life can be unpredictable at times. It is. It is. Life is unpredictable. You can understand life.
And somebody put this together. Life explained to you in two minutes. Two minutes.
Okay. Two minutes.
Two minutes.
Would you like to know? Yes, please. I think I got two minutes to go to start this. The way it begins is that God created the dog and said, sit all day by the door of your house. and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past.
For this, I'll give you a span of 20 years. The dog said, That's a lot of time to be barking. How about only 10 years, and I'll give you back the other 10? God agreed. God created the monkey and said, Entertain people, do tricks, make them laugh.
For this, I'll give you. Again, a lifespan of 20 years. And the monkey's like, you know. monkey tricks for twenty years. That's a pretty long time to perform.
How about you give me just ten and I'll give you ten back just like the dog did. And God agreed.
Next, God created the cow, and God said, He must go into the field with the farmer all day long. Suffer under the sun. Have calves, give milk to support the farmer's family, all the rest. For this I will give you a life span of sixty years. And the cow was like, that's a tough life.
For sixty years. How about twenty? And I'll give you the 40 back. And God agreed.
And then God created man and said, I want you to eat, sleep, play, marry, enjoy your life. For this I'll give you a life span of twenty years. And the man's like only twenty years? Could you possibly give me My twenty. Then give me the 40 the cow gave back to you.
And then give me the 10 the monkey gave back. And the dog also gave me back 10. Can I have those as well? And that will make me about 80. 80 sounds good.
Yeah, yeah. And God's like, okay, you asked for it. And so that's why, for the first 20 years, we eat, sleep, play, and enjoy ourselves. Mm-hmm. For the next 40 years, we slave under the sun to support our family.
For the next 10 years, we do monkey tricks to support, not support, to entertain, to entertain, maybe even support the grandchildren. Yeah, depending. And for the last 10 years, we sit on the front porch and bark at every. Rest in peace, Papa. That was him.
That was him. Barking on the front porch. Barking on the front porch. Do not step on Papa's lawn. Yep.
That was he was a bulldog of a man. Oh, I'm sorry. Yeah, life is unpredictable. You know, if you think about it, this is why we need God. That's right.
This is why we need Jesus. That's right. You know, it's funny because we've been talking about, you know, the things that you know about God matter, right? And I think it's in those moments where life is really unpredictable that it matters most. Because if I truly don't know if I can trust God or not, when disaster hits, oh man, it's going to break me apart.
Yeah, yeah. I mean, the rug's going to be yanked out from under you. You feel like you're just hanging in chaos. You don't know what's coming next. If you don't have God to lean on, I mean, I don't know how people make it through.
And it's what seasons are. Especially Christians, because it's a tough thing to convince yourself that I really don't trust God the way I should, because I know I'm supposed to. I know that people have been saying that to me all my life. And so, you know, it's one thing for the lost world, but even for Christians to have to come to that place where it's like, I know I'm supposed to. But I don't trust God.
Yeah. And now my life has been completely turned upside down, and I have no clue where to go. You know, a few seconds ago, Ryan, when you said, I don't know how people make it without God. I heard someone say this years ago. They said, who said they're making it?
Yeah. That's a great point. Yeah. They may not be making it. I would say, in fact, with.
With a lot of confidence that they're not making it just because they put on their smile, they have fun, they go on a vacation and they buy things, or they don't. or the save money does not mean that life is great. What you see on the surface is not really what is happening behind closed doors. And so Life can be unpredictable, but in those moments we have to remember that God is in control. In fact, Goddess all-powerful.
God is completely in control. He has infinite power. There's nothing that you. That God says, okay, that's outside my bounds. Oh man, that's above my pay grade.
Have you heard people say that? Yeah, that's above my pay grade. There's nothing, nothing in the universe. I'm not just talking about on planet Earth or in my little circle of influence or impact. in the entire universe.
There's nothing there. In fact, the entire universe put together. is not too much forgotten. God being all-powerful is something that I feel like a lot of people maybe hang on to, but they don't really understand what that means and really the scope of what that means. There's nothing that is outside of God's capability.
And this is a really tough topic because on the surface, it's hey, God can do anything, but then there that comes with implications.
Well, he could eradicate evil from my life, he could eradicate all of my struggles, he's all-powerful.
So why doesn't he do those things? And I think one of the things, Dr. Sean, maybe we can talk about, maybe this is a multi-part episode, I don't know, but is that what are the implications of God being all-powerful? Why aren't I seeing miracles in my life? Why aren't I seeing all the things that, you know, that people saw God's power in the Old Testament?
Why am I not seeing those things? And we've talked about that a little bit on the show, how even if we did see those things, it really wouldn't make that big of a difference in our faith.
Well, it didn't mean to people in the Bible, right? People in the Bible saw miraculous things like being led around in the wilderness by a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire. They saw God's presence resting on Mount Sinai. They saw waters parted. and walk through on dry ground.
And yet they still doubted God and still doubted his power. But I'm different though. But I'm definitely not. If God, and seriously, I've told this to myself: if God would just appear to me in my room and talk to me for five minutes, tell me what I'm supposed to be doing in my life, I would listen. And I would do it and I'd obey it.
I'd never doubt. And it's just absolutely not the case. You know, there are a lot of different attributes that are overlapping in a question like that. A question like if bad things are happening, this is happening. We are sort of.
Uh In a sense, saying if God is all-powerful, but there's more to it. Is God all wise? Is God all-merciful? Is God all just? All those things are also overlapping in that question.
I think in this context, it's not as much about Is God All powerful. then why does he does he not stop all evil? Because there we're talking more about the righteousness of God or the mercy of God or You know, the love of God and stepping into our world and stopping something evil that is going on. Is he not more powerful than that abuser? Is he not more powerful than a dictator?
Is he not more powerful than a terrorist who just killed hundreds of people or five people or however many? Why did he not stop them? When we talk about the omnipotence of God. What we're saying is that God is able to do all that He wills to do. Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm. This is not really bringing up things that have to do with morality. and ethics, or those softer virtues of God. We're talking here really about if he is able to do all that he wills to do. Because to be unable to do what one does not will to do is not a weakness.
For power. for power is the ability to do one's will.
So to say Man, I don't know if God is all-powerful because there I saw this poor child being hurt, and then why didn't God do it? Is He not all-powerful? There are other factors that are operating. Like Free will. Like God allowing Satan to do his dirty deed.
God working all things together for good God using every circumstance to draw people to Christ. There are other things operating. And it's not just that is he not strong enough? Is he not strong enough? Like like Like your son, he got some shots.
Yeah, he got some shots.
Okay, how many did he get? Five. Five shots. Yeah, five times someone took this needle and and Pierced your little boy. Yeah.
Were you not powerful enough to stop it? Oh, of course. Yeah. Why wouldn't you do that? He's probably asking that same question right now.
Daddy, why? Because I knew it was for his good. Yeah. You see what I'm saying? Yeah.
You're powerful enough to push out that nurse or doctor or whoever's doing that and say, stop hurting my child. But you're like, you know, in this situation, That pain is for something better, something good. He needs that. because it's gonna help him. And for me to stop this because I'm all powerful or stronger than that nurse or that doctor.
It's not what's needed here. That's right. That's a great clarification, at least in my mind. God is powerful enough. God is powerful enough to do what he wills.
There's nothing that God wills to do that he cannot do. And I've heard people say things mistakenly, but I've heard people say things like, can God make a rock so heavy that he can't lift it? Or can God lie? or things like that. How does that factor into this discussion?
Again, I think it goes along with the same things that I just mentioned. You know, there are certain attributes that are. operating there. Like like in that situation, it's like logically. God operates by logic.
He's not bound by logic. He is. the source of logic. Why do you think reason? And logic comes from.
They come from God.
So, to say that, you know, I don't even know what I can do to explain that, but let's say if I were to. To build this table right here.
Okay, this table. is is is Yeah. I'm trying to think cleverly here. This table is supposed to sit like this and hold up this mug, this coffee mug. And The way I have built it is perfectly able to support this coffee mug.
But then if someone were to come and say, well, Uh this this mug is too heavy for this kind of table.
Well Okay. I mean, what do you want me to do? Ter you know. I built this. I built up the table to hold this mug.
And for you to say that It's the same way with God. You're telling God, this logic right here. How can you answer? God says, I made the logic, I made this table. And let's say I also made this coffee mug.
And it's perfect. There's no problem with this. And it's my table and my mug, and I can put it on there. And everything functions the way it's supposed to. Yeah, because I made it.
Right. And I made this, and it's working. And for you to say, It doesn't work. How does this justifies something. Yeah.
Yeah. It's mine. I did it. Yeah. And it works.
So also with logic. When people use that, can God make a boulder so big that he can't lift it? That's illogical. That's illogical fallacy. God is a God of logic.
Not that He's bound by logic. I'm not bound by this table. I'm not bound by this mug. Beyond that.
So, also, God is beyond. That logic. That's right. He owns logic. He created logic.
He gave it to us.
Now we're turning it around on him. I created the neurons in your brain that are firing incorrectly so you can use this logic wrongly. There you go. That's perfectly said. It's also, I think, a trap.
And maybe you could talk to this daughter, Sean. We don't have to get into logical fallacies today, but like when people say that, well, there are things God can't do.
Well, God can't lie.
So he's weak in that aspect. That's not a weakness at all. Like the things that God can't do, God can't lack, God can't sin, those actually strengthen his omnipotence. He's so beyond temptation, he's so beyond sin. It actually strengthens the argument, at least as far as I can tell.
For God's all-powerful nature.
Well, sin in its nature, and this is, again, this may be a larger discussion, but sin in its nature is a failure. Yeah. It's a coming short of a standard of perfection. God is the standard of perfection, so he's not going to be less than, he's not going to fall short of his own standard. Like when I say that I can't do something, I can't lift this building up.
That's a failing. But God not being able to lie, God not being able to sin is the exact opposite. Yeah, as I mentioned a few moments ago about other attributes are overlapping in that question. The attributes that God is holy God's power is not going to contradict God's holiness. Holiness being that hubcap, that center.
Of God's, God's, not hopcap is not a good, it's, it's like, like the epicenter, epicenter, epicenter is a better way to say that, of God's attributes.
So for me to say is he not strong enough to lie? Yeah. That doesn't you're talking about two different things.
So when people ask those kind of questions, I'm like. Oh. He really stumped me.
Well, I think that's what it's for. You are a silly person. I think that is what it's for. It's for it's to stump, like. naive college.
Oh, yeah. 'Cause that's definitely the first place that I heard that was, you know, the freshman. Philosophy class. Yeah, of course.
So bringing it back to us, I think a lot of Christians, Dr. Shah, don't have a problem with the idea that God is all powerful. And yet day to day, It's not something that we think about. It's not something that we actually even rest in or even believe sometimes. And it affects the way that we handle trials in our life.
Yeah. If you have a short-sighted view or even a lack of understanding of God's omnipotence, it's going to affect the way that you approach trials. It's going to affect the way that you look at other people. It's going to affect the way you think about your own life and God's calling and His direction and His protection on your life. Yeah, and and so what I want to do in the next few minutes we have, is just unpack What true omnipotence is all about.
What does it truly mean that God is all powerful. And one of the greatest declarations of God regarding his power is found in Jeremiah chapter thirty two. And I want us to read that. I just want us to walk through it. Jeremiah thirty two and verse twenty six says Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying, Behold I am the Lord the God of all flesh.
Is there anything too hard for me? Is there anything to offer? What is going on here? The context is going to help us. In chapter thirty-two and thirty-three, We we are sort of Kind of looking at the second part.
Of the great song of hope that Jeremiah sang when he was shut in the court of the guard. At the order of King Zedekiah.
So he is in this predicament. He's in this prison? And he is singing this song of hope. Because in the eyes of the king he was uttering treason. Mm.
And in that way, he was advocating surrender to the king of Babylon. S what Jeremiah was saying is You need to give up. You need to surrender to the king of Babylon. And Nebuchadnezzar and his army were right outside the walls of Jerusalem. The city had been under siege for a considerably long time.
And it was very close to starvation and surrender in the midst of the situation. Jeremiah sang his great song of hope.
So, I want you, Ryan, if you would read. Jeremiah chapter 32 verses 1 through 5. Sure. The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. For then the king of Babylon's army besieged Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison, which was in the king of Judah's house.
For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, Why do you prophesy, and say, Thus says the LORD Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it. And Zedekiah, king of Judah, shall not escape from the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him face to face, and see him eye to eye. Then he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there he shall be until I visit him, says the LORD. Though you fight with the Chaldeans, you shall not succeed. Whoa, wait a minute.
Though you fight with the Chaldeans, you will not succeed? Wait a minute. I thought God is the great, powerful God. Is there anything too difficult for him? Yeah, this isn't sounding a whole lot like a song of hope.
Yeah, it's not a song of hope, it's a song of defeat. It is resembling a god who is weak and powerless. in the face of a human monarch? Come on. How is that power possible?
You see, that's the same thing that happens when we see God not acting in certain situations. Is this leading into the Babylonian exile? Oh, yes, that's coming.
Okay. That's coming. I mean, you're right there. It's about to, everything is going to go now.
So, this surrender is part of God's plan for the Jewish people. Yes. But, but isn't it tempting to say, wait a minute, my God is powerful. If we all declare together that God is powerful, God will stop the Babylonians. Jeremiah over there is saying, No, he's not.
Yeah, he's not going to stop it. He's not stopping anything, guys. In fact, you might as well just surrender. Might as well surrender.
Now, imagine someone saying that in your church. Like, you would act just like that. You have no faith. You are a faithless. In fact, I don't even know if you're going to heaven.
That's between you and God. And I would advise that you just take some time to really think on that. Exactly. Get saved. What is Jeremiah saying here?
What is he pointing to? He's saying, don't think for a single moment that God is not powerful. He's very powerful. But in this situation, because of your sin, you're going to be dragged away by the Babylonians. If you don't want to die anymore.
Of starvation. Open the gates. Let Nebuchadnezzar come in because time's up.
So there are situations where God says, No, I'm not gonna answer. And for you to somehow say God is all-powerful, He's going to. No, he's not. I know today's doctrine is a little different. I'm not going to sit here and quote all the passages in the Bible that talk about the all-powerful God.
Because we can do that all day. I want to talk about situations where God is powerful and yet we don't see Him. Intervening. That's what I want to focus on. I think that's where a lot of people are when they're listening and when they're thinking about, you know, my loved one is sick, or I really need this promotion.
It's not coming through, or I'm worried we're going to lose the house. God is all-powerful. Why am I not seeing him act? Yeah. Maybe you could talk about that, Dr.
Shah, like, like, why God sometimes chooses to tear something down before he builds it up. Because I think a lot of times we see that and we say, well, he either my problem's too small for him, or he just doesn't want to. Maybe he wants to teach me something that I just, I just got to go through this. Or God is not powerful enough. Or he's just not some will say that too.
Yeah. See, you know, sometimes God wants us to obey him. It's not about God's power or God's ability or capability. It's about our obedience in faith to say, God, our people have sinned. You're taking us down this path because there's something you're going to do.
In the process, people will die. It's not a good situation. It's horrible. But you warned us again and again by sending prophet after prophet after profit, and our people have rejected you. We even killed the prophets.
So, God, you have brought the king of Babylon on our doorstep, and he is there on the other side of the gate. And this is not about how powerful you are. I mean, come on, these people the the peop the j the people of Israel All these centuries were were were were disobeying God. These kings were living for self, WORSHIPING PAGAN IDOLS And now all of a sudden they're like, you know what? Our God is a God.
He reigns. Oh, no. Oh, no. Throw it away back. They brought it out.
We did. Yeah, they did. They brought the old praise and worship song. That's right. And and Jeremiah's over there's like Yeah.
Nope. Yeah, y'all going through this. This is happening. Imagine God's man, God's prophet saying that to you. Yeah.
Wow. I'd be angry with him too because I know it's probably true. Yeah, yeah. It's true. Yeah.
So What is God wanting them to do? You see, it's a remarkable act of faith, for this was the worst possible time to be buying property in Judah. Jeremiah was under immediate threat. Jerusalem was under immediate threat of capture by the Babylonian army, and the entire land would be subjected to who knew how many years. Of desolation and darkness and despair.
This is coming. And yet God sent Jeremiah word to buy this field, in the hometown of Anatote. In the midst of this, Though Jeremiah was shut up in the court of God, God told him. his cousin would come to meet him. And when he came and offered the field, Jeremiah was to buy it.
So again, knowing what's about to happen. Yeah, and Jeremiah's like, okay, now you don't want me to go along with God is all-powerful thing right now. Got it. You want me to tell them that Nebuchadnezzar is on the other side. Got it.
And you want me to buy a field here? Do you know how this looks? Just on paper, just so we're clear. I'm not looking great here.
So Somebody read Jeremiah 32, verses 6 through 8. I got it. Jeremiah said, The word of the LORD came to me, saying, Behold, Hannamel the son of Shalom, your uncle, will come to you, saying, Buy my field, which is in Anatoth, for the right of redemption is yours to buy it. Then Hannamel, my uncle's son, came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the Lord, and said to me, Please buy my field that is in Anatoth, for the count for which is in the country of Benjamin. for the right of inheritance is yours and the redemption yours.
Buy it for yourself. Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord.
So He goes ahead and does it.
Now Also, need to understand here: God understands our trials, He understands our tears because in verse 16 we read: this is Jeremiah 32, if you're following along. In verse 16, it says, Now, when I had delivered the purchased deed to Baruch the son of Nariah, I prayed to the Lord saying, Ah, Lord God, God. Behold, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for you. Verse twenty four.
Look, the siege mounds. they have come to the city to take it. and the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans, who fight against it because of the sword and famine and pestilence. What you have spoken has happened. There, you see it.
And you have said to me, O Lord God, buy the field for money, and take witnesses yet the city has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans. Verse twenty six Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying, Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard? For me. means even though Th these King Zedekiah and his band of merry men Our Invoking my power and my omnipotence, they don't know that I'm not with them.
This place is going to fall to the Babylonians because this is my judgment. for centuries of sin. But I I want you to buy that land. I want you to prophesy and tell them that this is going to fall, but I want you to buy the land. And Jeremiah's like, Lord, I'm going to obey you.
So, there are places where we can definitely obey God as in, man, God gave me a vision to plant this business here or this ministry there or talk to that person. I'm not against that. Maybe God did kill you. But in the word, in the Bible, you find God's clear commands. Obey there.
Now Our time is short. I want to read. Jeremiah 32, verses 42 to 44, because God is going to resolve. Jeremiah's Dilemma.
So Ryan, can you read that for us? Sure. For thus says the Lord, Just as I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will bring on them all the good that I have promised them. And fields will be bought in this land of which you say it is desolate, without man or beast. It has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans.
Men will buy fields for money, sign deeds and seal them, and take witnesses in the land of Benjamin, in the places around Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the lowland. In the cities of the south, for I will cause their captives to return, says the Lord. I will cause their captives to return. That. Is the evidence of the omnipotence of God.
Not that He will drive Nebuchadnezzar away. No. It is when you obey God by that field when everything seems like so dismal because God's word is telling you, God says, here's what's going to happen.
Some generations will pass, but I will bring you back in the land. I will bring you back into the promised land.
So beautiful and such a reminder for us that God is a God who is powerful and a God who keeps his promises. That's right. That's right. We want you to know that those promises apply to you. These are not promises that were given to characters in a fictional story.
These are promises that were given to people just like you who lived in a real time just like you. And these promises apply to you as well. God is faithful and he's powerful enough to complete those. those plans that he has for your life. That's right.
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