Article May 15, 1976 Issue

Meekness Is Might

JUDITH H. HEDRICK

The world is constantly bombarding us with suggestions that physical strength, wealth, material possessions, human brilliance, the "correct" friends or personal contact, and so on, are passports to power. These human advantages claim to be important—even necessary—to success in gaining freedom and dominion.

It is certainly right to have freedom and dominion—these are man's heritage, and understanding this, we can demonstrate that we have them. From the first chapter in Genesis the Bible reveals God as always giving man dominion over all the earth—true dominion based on his sonship with God. But does this mean that the many people who appear to lack the physical evidences of dominion and might are separated from God's blessing? Those who are quiet, without overriding ambition, selfless, kind, given to helping others—should they be considered weak and easily ruled or manipulated by anything or anyone with greater material power?

Elijah learned a valuable lesson when, after he had defeated the prophets of Baal in a demonstration of spiritual power, he fled in fear of temporal power before the threats of Jezebel the queen. It was not until he stood on the mount before the Lord that he learned the essence of his error. "And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice."  I Kings 19:11,12; God, the omnipotent, was not to be found in material displays of force, but in the gentle, firm Word of Truth. Elijah listened, and then he went forward, strengthened by this message, and understanding absolute obedience to God as the source of his safety.

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