Our Mighty God
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
The title Mighty God in this beloved Advent verse reminds me of the first VeggieTales video our family ever owned. If you aren’t familiar with VeggieTales, it’s a series of children’s videos starring a talking tomato and cucumber named, respectively, Bob and Larry. Bob and Larry, along with multiple friends from the produce aisle, sing, dance, and teach beloved Bible stories in a zany way kids remember. My daughters, now twenty-two and twenty-four, were crazy about all things VeggieTales when they were little. Their favorite tape was Where’s God When I’m S-Scared? And yes, it was a VHS tape because my children were watching VeggieTales way back in the twentieth century!
The earworm–provoking theme song of our favorite video was called “God Is Bigger.” My girls adored this song, and I like to think they absorbed some lifelong lessons from their repeated sing-alongs with these lyrics:
God is bigger than the boogie man.
He’s bigger than Godzilla,
or the monsters on TV.
Oh, God is bigger than the boogie man.
And He’s watching out for you and me.
He’s watching out for you and me.
An understanding of God being bigger than the boogie man was important when they were two or three. Hopefully the song stuck with them, because this truth continues to be applicable at ages twenty-two and twenty-four as they move across the country, interview for their dream jobs, or battle relationship challenges. It continues to be meaningful for me at age fifty-four!
Life can be scary, but the mightiness of God is the antidote to fear. Numerous times in Scripture God says, “Do not fear.” He can say this to us because he sees the big picture when we cannot. Believers know no power in the universe is greater than God’s. The word mighty means “having or showing great power, skill, strength or force.” It also means “imposing or awesome in size, degree or extent.” God’s power, strength, and influence make it possible for us to rest in his embrace and turn our worry and fear over to him. Even when we don’t understand all the details of God’s plan, we can be assured that he has our situation firmly in hand. We can retire every day as the general manager of the universe because God already has that job, and he’s much better at it than we are anyway.
Another of my favorite illustrations of the quiet strength and mighty power of God is the great lion Aslan in the beloved series The Chronicles of Narnia. I return to it again and again, primarily to connect to the allegorical truth of the mighty Aslan. In one of my favorite excerpts, Lucy and the other children are asking Mr. and Mrs. Beaver about Aslan, the king. Lucy wants to know if Aslan is safe, and Mr. Beaver replies that Aslan is not safe, but he is good.
Isn’t that a perfect definition of our Mighty God: too powerful, too strong, too big to be entirely safe, but so very, very good? Aren’t you glad you’re a daughter of the King?
Abba Father, we thank you for your mighty strength and gentle grace. We’re in awe of your majesty, goodness, and power. Who are we that you are mindful of us? When life gets scary, help us remember you are mighty. You alone are our mighty God, our everlasting Father, our Wonderful Counselor, and our Prince of Peace. We love you, too, Lord. Amen.
Scripture for Reflection
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26 NIV)
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7 NLT)
The Lord your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17 NIV)
Reach for More
This week’s challenge is to meditate on the word mighty and consider what it means to you. When you think about God’s mighty power, what comes to mind? What difference does it make in your life? If you consider that you are made in the image of God, how might you apply your understanding of the word mighty to you? What difference would it make if you believed that, through the power of the Holy Spirit, you are also a mighty warrior?
Please come back and leave a comment telling us about what you discover, how you are changed, how God spoke to you this week, or share your progress on social media using the hashtag #tgtreachformore. We would love to hear from you.
is an author, speaker, and life coach with a passion for helping people live lives of courage, compassion, and connection. She is the author of Being Brave: A 40 Day Journey to the Life God Dreams for You. She leads a weekly Bible study at The Lamb Center, a day shelter for homeless and poor individuals, where she also serves on the Board of Directors. She and her husband, Steve, are the proud parents of two young adult daughters, Alexandra and Brooke. You can connect with Kelly at kellyiveyjohnson.com.
Photograph © Yoann Boyer, used with permission
