I had this realization this morning. We don't really want the power God wants to give us. Yes, the cliche is true. Thanks, Spiderman. With great power comes great responsibility.
I know I've been afraid of the power God may be willing to give me. I know it would put me in situations I don't want to be in. I'd have to speak up more and leave my house more. And don't want to. Thankfully, it doesn't matter that I don't want to, though.
There's another type of power we don't really want. The power I'm referring to is when we aren't in the limelight. The power and ability to practice humility. Most of the time, when we pray for power, it's to do something we believe is extraordinary. It's to cast out demons or speak to the masses. Very rarely do we pray for the power to be humble.
The interesting thing about when God empowers us is that He humbles us first. If you can have the ability to be humble, you can be trusted with power and responsibility.
Jesus had all power, yet He humbly walked this earth. He could've struck people dead, called thousands of angels to deliver Him, or bluntly just sent people to Hell. Yet, part of His power and strength was in His humility. He had the power to stay humble, and that is an act of God.
You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Philippians 2:5-8 NLT