Kept By the Power of God

And there are so many Christians who think: “My God is keeping the inheritance for me”: but they cannot believe: “My God is keeping me for that inheritance.”

Absolute Surrender, Andrew Murray

Murray references the opening verses of the apostle Peter’s first letter. 

1 Peter 1: 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

God keeps this incorruptible inheritance for us, and keeps us for that inheritance. 

You know, it is very foolish of a father to take great trouble to have an inheritance for his children, and to keep it for them, if he does not keep them for it.

Would such a father not educate his children to be prepared to receive this inheritance?  Even more so, the wonderful inheritance God has for us.  If He would not keep us for it, what would be the point? 

We are kept by the power of God.  This “keeping” is all-inclusive – our whole being, our entire nature.  every bit of us will be turned to incorruption, therefore every bit of us will be kept. 

Do we believe this?  Do we have such faith?  It is a faith that requires a recognition of our utter impotence, our helplessness before God.  A faith that says, I have tried everything; a faith that comes from absolute surrender.

Ah, yes, God will have to bring us very low down; there will have to come upon us a sense of emptiness and despair and nothingness. 

Only from this point can we see that we require a death of self, letting go of the idea that our wisdom and thoughts and actions can pull us out of this condition.

As long as we are something, God cannot be all, and His omnipotence cannot do its full work.

We need this keeping certainly in times of trouble.  But in times of plenty, do we believe we do not need God’s help?  It is a trap easily fallen into by many, I suspect – certainly by me.  Do we wonder, when faced with trouble or a heavy trial: where is God?  Why is He not keeping me?

Now I bring you the message that in prosperity as in adversity, in the sunshine as in the dark, your God is ready to keep you all the time.

There is no qualifying clause to [this]. 

There is also no time limit to this; His keeping is continuous.  Yet, our failings do not accept this.  We accept it when things are (seemingly) going well, then we question His keeping when they are not.  But God keeps us every moment.

Further, and returning to Murray’s theme throughout this book: this keeping requires an almighty power, a power to which we must surrender. 

I want to worship God until my whole heart is filled with the thought of His omnipotence. … Have you ever thought that in every action of grace in your heart you have the whole omnipotence of God engaged to bless you?

Conclusion

In the beginning of our life of faith, we find struggle.  As we grow, as we throw ourselves completely on God and rest in Him, we find peace, joy and victory. 

It is a great thing when a man comes to rest on God’s almighty power for every moment of his life.