This is part of my year-long series exploring human-centered alternatives to the spiritual promises in Oswald Chambers’ classic devotional My Utmost for His Highest. Today’s entry, “The Miracle of Belief”, promises that gospel preaching produces “the miracle of belief” through “the sheer, unaided power of God” rather than human eloquence, claiming that preachers who avoid impressive speech allow “the power of the redemption” to flow through them and that Jesus being “lifted up” will “draw all people” to himself.
Here’s what relying on divine power instead of human communication skills actually delivered:
“Don’t rely on eloquence or personality,” his seminary professor warned earnestly. “The sheer, unaided power of God produces belief through simple gospel preaching. Avoid anything that might hinder God’s word from flowing through you. Let the creative power of redemption do its work.”
Pastor Tom felt called to plant a new church and embraced this approach completely. Instead of developing engaging sermon delivery or connecting personally with potential members, he focused solely on presenting biblical content without embellishment. He deliberately avoided charisma or persuasive techniques, believing that God’s power would draw people to himself through plain gospel proclamation.
For months, Tom preached to nearly empty rooms, convinced that his lack of eloquence was allowing divine power to work unhindered. When visitors didn’t return, he attributed it to spiritual resistance rather than his ineffective communication. The miracle of belief would occur once people heard the unadorned gospel message.
But the promised divine drawing power was completely absent.
Tom’s church plant failed to grow despite his faithful avoidance of human persuasion techniques. His plain delivery and lack of personal connection actually prevented people from engaging with his message. The creative power of redemption that was supposed to work through simple preaching was nowhere to be found.
Meanwhile, Tom’s friend Pastor Maria approached church planting with zero expectation of divine power bypassing human communication skills. Maria worked systematically to develop effective preaching, built genuine relationships with community members, addressed practical needs alongside spiritual topics.
Maria’s approach included exactly what Chambers warned against—using her natural personality, developing persuasive communication skills, connecting personally with people. She didn’t avoid eloquence but cultivated it to serve her message more effectively.
When Maria’s church thrived while Tom’s failed, he felt spiritually confused. Had he been too faithful to avoiding human techniques? Was his lack of charisma somehow hindering God’s power rather than allowing it?
Where was the sheer, unaided power of God that was supposed to produce belief through simple preaching? Where was the creative power of redemption that would work when human personality was removed?
Tom’s breakthrough came when he realized that effective communication required human skills, not divine bypassing of personality and eloquence. The people who connected with Maria’s ministry weren’t drawn by miraculous divine power but by her authentic relationships and relevant teaching.
The silence where God’s miracle of belief was supposed to manifest revealed the truth: there was no divine power working through plain preaching. Only human communication skills and genuine relationships that actually connected with people’s real needs and interests.
Reflection Question: When has developing your natural communication abilities been more effective than trying to remove personality from your message?
This story is part of my upcoming book “The Undevoted: Daily Departures from Divine Dependence,” which offers 365 human-centered alternatives to the spiritual certainties in Chambers’ devotional. Each day explores how reason, community, and human resilience can address life’s challenges without requiring divine intervention.
God or Delusion? 