Power Predicaments - Part 2

DAILY BYTE

So, the relationship with power is one of humanity’s deepest struggles. As Abraham Lincoln once said: ‘Nearly all people can stand adversity, but if you want to test their character, give them power.’

The Bible tells us it is an age-old problem rooted in the soul of every human being. Remember the clincher used by the serpent to tempt Adam and Eve was ‘when you eat of the tree of good & evil, your eyes will be opened, and you will be LIKE God, knowing good & evil.’

Henri Nouwen says that ever since that moment we have been tempted to replace love with power. We set up hierarchies for ourselves in our societies that we are for ever trying to scale in our never-ceasing efforts to become more than we were before and more than others are.

We greatly desire to be LIKE God or God-like.

Throughout history we have many examples of one person getting to the top of a hierarchy, of gaining ultimate ‘God-like’ power, and then finding they are unable to wield that power with integrity and so cause untold misery to their fellow human beings.

I will share just one example of this for you. Frederick Nietsche was a European philosopher who was obsessed with the idea of power. He believed that personal happiness could only be found in achieving power.

Nietsche hated the idea of Jesus, a humble God who gave up power for love. Nietsche wanted nothing at all to do with that kind of God. So instead he proposed his idea of ubermensch, or ‘supermen’, which is the idea that certain of us are inherently superior to others and should therefore rule. His ideas were seized upon by Hitler and even further perverted, resulting in WW2 and the obliteration of millions of lives, including 6 million Jews.

The abuse of power has caused great misery throughout history and unfortunately it is no different today. Keep that thought in mind as you pray the following prayer.

PRAY AS YOU GO

Gracious God, we want to pray for every person affected adversely because of power abuse. We pray for abused women and children; for the poor and those who find themselves on the wrong side of economic systems; for the politically oppressed; and for all those living in situations of war and violence. We pray that you may bring peace and healing and wholeness to all those situations. Amen.

FOCUS VERSE

Genesis 3:2-5 (NIV)

The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "
"You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."