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I hope this doesn’t sound too irreligious, but sometimes I wish I could see Jesus dressed in something other than His baggy, white robe, and blue sash.

Sometimes I’d like to see Him in a tank top.

Six times in the book of Deuteronomy Moses refers to God’s “Mighty hand and stretched out arm.” In Psalm 89:10 it says of the Lord, “You have scattered Your enemies with Your strong arm.” And then in verse 13 it says, “Your arm is endued with power…your right hand is exalted.”

One of our recurring failures as humans is to rely too heavily on the strength of our own “arms.” I do it all the time. I look at a situation through the grid of my personal strength and ability, and then gauge whether or not I have what it takes to come through. And that’s a terrible thing to do because Jeremiah 17:5 says, “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and who makes flesh his arm.” In its original Hebrew language the word “curse” means to hem in with obstacles, and render powerless. When we trust exclusively in our own strength we will eventually find ourselves surrounded and stuck.

We need to recapture a view of God that shows Him sustaining the universe by the word of His power. He is big enough to sustain you. He is vast enough to provide for your deepest needs…He is wise enough to help you navigate life’s tricky mazes…and He is strong enough to carry you through every twist and turn you might encounter during the course of your Christian race.