He Gives the Ability

To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days. Luke 1:74,75 (New American Standard Bible)

When God led the children of Israel out of Egypt it was so they could live out the truths of this passage of Scripture. It was an incredible rescue that demonstrated God’s power and protection for His people. The whole battle really was the Lord’s as they did not have to do any of the fighting themselves. After seeing the plagues, walking through the Red Sea on a dry path, and watching their enemies perish, what could possibly cause them fear in the future? How could they look at anything else they would come up against as “too hard for God?”

But Scripture is not meant to read as mere interesting historical facts. It is meant to come alive to me in applicable ways. Every time I open my Bible, God wants me to see that the stories are meant to fuel my own faith and affect change in my internal world which will result in change in my external world.

I must realize that I too have been rescued from the hand of my enemies. My biggest enemy being Satan of course. But there are other enemies I have been rescued from….habits, addictions, generational bents, insecurities, past woundings, etc….. Now while my mind knows this to be true am I living out the truth of it? Do my actions match up with my knowledge? Or do I metaphorically still abide in the hands of my enemies?

I am encouraged by the little word “grant” in this verse. It means to enable or allow the fulfillment of something. When I trusted Christ as my Savior, God not only gave me His Spirit but He gave me everything I would need to live the Christian life. That means that as His child I possess the capability of serving Him without fear and in holiness and righteousness. It is not a matter of mustering up the courage, holiness, and righteousness on my own.

So this morning I once again start with the premise that I am God’s daughter with all the kingdom rights, responsibilities, and privileges that come with that position. May the truth of that make a radical change in the way I walk through this day!

Father, doing all things through Christ literally means doing all things through Christ. Let me see You as my Enabler. Amen.