Strength in Weakness
Strength in Weakness
“Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”
2 Corinthians 12:10
A familiar verse to those that are reading the Bible. How often do we enjoy being in persecution, distress or pain.
I had an opportunity to have a conversation with a friend of mine at supper. He said the only reason we are here at this moment is because God brought us to something and put us through something so that we would be able to look back at it and see what good came out of it for His glory.
This was speaking to a certain set of events in my life that caused pain and brokenness. And over the period of about thirty years, it was beginning to make sense.
But a lot of things I’ve looked at in life were always focused on the problem, the situation ,the mess or the stress. We focus on the bad so much we don’t look at what God can do through it and through us.
It is so hard to sit “in the moment” and see God working, that is until you make yourself available to Him and weakness is an availability.
We serve an amazing God, but many times we turn Him down or even completely off and we turn ourselves up.
I had always looked at a problem as something that went wrong. Until I started to put God at the center of my life.
Side note here: putting God at the center of your life, actually has to be done by you with your commitment and your sacrifice.
When I focused on the problem I took my eyes off of God. When I focus my eyes on God I take my eyes off the problem. It’s that simple. There are so many commands in the Bible. But not one says to make your problems bigger than the God you serve. Period.
Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t saying focus on God only when the bad things in your life happen. You haven’t been reading my devotions if that’s the message you’re getting.
God is the relationship standard by which all relationships should be measured in your life. You should be going to God always, often, in His Word and in prayer.
When Paul writes this verse he is speaking of pain in his life and how he found strength through it by turning to God. Jesus assured Paul that He was all he needed for strength.
In your weakest moment, God strips you of everything that makes you strong so that you are available to Him to become stronger through Him by this weakness.
Take time today to come to God and praise Him for the moments of weakness in your life that have turned you to Him for strength.
Read your Bible, pray, go to Church and surround yourself with like-minded believers. These aren’t instructions - this is common sense. If you want a life with Jesus Christ at the center those four things will get you there.
Stop looking at the problem and put your focus back on God.
“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
Isaiah 40:31