new church life: november/december 2017
And the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:29-31)
His power is given to us whenever we sincerely ask for it. (See Life 31e)
Whenever we want the good He has to offer, He is more than willing to give it.
Of course, sometimes we may say we want it, and in reality do not. The
rich young man who asked the Lord how to gain eternal life wanted His
blessings, as long as he did not have to give up too much to get it. This is why
he was so sad when the Lord told him to give away all his riches. We may want
heaven, but not really want to give up our personal hellish delights. It’s like
saying, “I want to be happy, as long as I can have my fun by tearing down and
making fun of others.” The Lord’s power cannot achieve that since He can only
do good.
We need to accept the Lord’s power on His terms, not ours. To ask the
Lord that His power might create heavenly life within us is to ask that His
vision of good might be born within us.
His power is also given to us when we, with a humble spirit, seek to serve
others. (Arcana Coelestia 3417e) As we relinquish a sense of complete control
of our own lives, as we accept the ways of providence and come to trust in the
Lord to take care of our essential needs, then His power can affect us. This was
seen in Mary.
T he Lord’s power could create Life there because she was open to Him.
She had a humility making her receptive to the Lord. This is quite evident
from her joyous acceptance of Gabriel’s message: “Behold the maidservant of
the Lord! Let it be to me according to Your Word.” She did not argue with
him. She did not resist. Rather, she was
happy to serve – to do what the Lord
wanted her to.
And the Lord’s power does touch
our lives as we strive to make good
choices, as we do what is right in His
eyes. (Arcana Coelestia 8700; True
Christian Religion 68) For where there
is order, where people are trying to
do what is right, there His power is
fully received. When we make hellish
choices, we cut ourselves off from His
power – we reject it. When we are self-
We need to accept the
Lord’s power on His
terms, not ours. To ask
the Lord that His power
might create heavenly
life within us is to ask
that His vision of good
might be born within us.
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