Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: "Blessed are You, O Lord, the God of Israel our Father, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is Yours. Yours is the Kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head above all." 1 Chronicles 29:10-11

Japan is not oil rich. It is a country that does not have vast reserves of coal.

Because that is so, when nuclear power became a reality, it was warmly embraced by the governments and people of Japan. That was, of course, before the Fukushima disaster, which shocked that island nation and the world.

Now, in a reversal of policy, the Japanese government has revealed a plan to phase out nuclear power. Understand, the workers at the nuclear plants aren't going to come in next week and throw a switch to shut everything down. No, the final curtain on Japanese nuclear power won't go down until the year 2040.

Even so, it shows the people of Japan will be looking elsewhere for their power.

Christians can understand that kind of shift. After all, we have seen much the same thing happen in our own lives, haven't we?

Remember that there was a time when the only power we acknowledged in our lives was the power of darkness. By treachery and deceit the devil had stolen the souls of humanity from its Maker. From that moment on every soul that had been born had to acknowledge the devil as its source of power. Even worse, there was nothing anyone could do about that sorrowful situation.

It was a disaster far more tragic and much longer-lasting than that of Fukushima.

But then, according to promise, God sent His Son into the world. As our divine Substitute, Jesus lived a perfect life; He suffered and died for us, and three days later He rose from the dead. That resurrection miracle was also done for us.

With the completion of His work, Jesus has given sinners a new source of power, strength, and a singularly unique way of being saved. Using Word and Sacrament, God has called us to faith in the crucified and ever-living Redeemer.

In short, in Jesus we have a new source of power for this world and the next, and we didn't have to wait until the year 2040 to get it.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I give thanks that by Your grace I have been given forgiveness, salvation, and a new source of power. Like King David, may I too give thanks and say, "Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is Yours." In Jesus' Name, I pray it. Amen.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Today's Bible Readings: Isaiah 37-38    Romans 5

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