Higher power: a spirit or being (such as God) that has great
power, strength, knowledge, etc., and that can affect nature and the lives of
people belief in a higher power (Merriam-Webster).
When I
studied theology, I recall that some of the first readings we had before Old
Testament Studies were from the Ancient Near East. For examples, Sumerian and
Babylonian texts. Sure enough, Sumerian texts (Cuneiform) predate Old Testament
(Hebrew Scripture) texts, so it should not be unusual as a precursor. Indeed,
Sumerian is the oldest known written language. I am sure Irving Finkel at the
British Museum could fill us in on this stuff way better than I could. An extremely
important note, however, is that only ten percent of the Sumerian tablets found
have been translated. This post title may seem vague because there is a
question mark after the phrase higher power intervention.
I obviously provided
the common definition for higher power at the beginning of this post. The Enuma
Elish , the Sumerian Creation Story, does say that gods who looked like humans
ruled over Earth and came here from elsewhere. One can say they were a higher
power which intervened here on Earth. Similarly, many other ancient texts all
around the world such as the Bible are based on the belief in a Higher Power.
The reason for the existence of many religions all over the world is also simply based on
this belief. In the present day we do not see with physical eyes any gods that
look human which we could call a Higher Power. Moreover, we cannot prove that
they exist in an invisible form either. However, the fact that a Higher Power
can intervene and affect nature and the lives of people also cannot be
disproved. The foregoing raises many questions which probably cannot be answered
easily.
I am not
going to sit here and ask hundreds of relevant questions which I cannot answer.
I will say that I would not be surprised if a Higher Power did manifest itself
on our planet anytime soon. Why would I not be surprised? With so many ancient
texts making claims to their existence, there obviously must be something
there. Jesus spoke of the coming of the Son of Man. The Gospel according to
Luke 21:25-27 reads as follows:
‘” There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars,
and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and
the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon
the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see
‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory (NRSV).”’
Many people
believe the foregoing text. To conclude, do not be surprised if one day a
Higher Power like Jesus himself shows up on our planet and intervenes.
References:
Bible, New
Revised Standard Version
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