Although it's God's desire to reveal His power to us, we seldom give Him the chance.

We're like the accountant who was told by his boss to falsify company records. Afraid of being fired, he chose to comply--even though as a believer in Christ he knew he was lying and breaking the law. Worse than being out of a job, he ended up in jail. He missed the opportunity to trust God and give Him a chance to show His power.

I'm afraid we're not much different. We're like King Asa, a good king who foolishly chose to make a treaty with Ben-Hadad rather than trust God. Asa had reason to worry--Judah was at war with Israel. But Hanani the prophet told Asa, "Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped" (2 Chr. 16:7). As a result, the rest of Asa's reign was plagued by war (1 Ki. 15:16).

God continues to show Himself strong to those who remain loyal to Him. Whenever we rely on a crooked boss or a clever scheme or a pack of lies, we are headed for trouble. But if we stay true to God when we're under fire, we give Him the opportunity to show us His power.  — David C. Egner