Lessons I'm Learning: His Strength in Our Weakness

2 Cor. 12:9-10
"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

God has brought the word weak to mind early on in this trial.  I have felt weak in faith, weak to face temptation, weak when I've been anxious about money, weak in ideas to solve our "problem" - just not in a place of strength.  He brought my mind to the verse above.  This has often been a go-to and familiar Scripture, but like many of the other Scriptures that God has brought to life in a different way than ever before recently, these verses spoke to my soul in a new way. 

As I meditated on the truth of these words, I realized that His power is made perfect - without lack, complete, because I am weak - unable to do anything in my own power or strength.  When I am unable, He is able.  Looking at the flip side, when I am being self-sufficient, trying to "fix" things in my life on my own efforts and works, and I am so called "strong", I leave no room for my heart to need God.  I don't cry out to Him for help, more faith, strength to persevere.  I can't see Him at work because I think somehow I've done it, and that the glory belongs to myself.  But it is when I relinquish my "control" and go to Him fully dependent on Him, His power rests upon me, and He is glorified for showing Himself strong. 

The word weak brought me to another Scripture, as God brought the thought that being weak excludes the idea of being completely broken or unusable or laid to waste.  Weakness implies that there is still something there, hanging on.  Not strength to the fullest, but nevertheless there.   

2 Cor. 4:7-10 - "But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies."

The passage doesn't use the word weak, but describes those things that drive us to a weakened state - affliction, being perplexed, persecution, being struck down.  But notice God says, that we are afflicted, BUT NOT crushed; perplexed BUT NOT driven to despair; persecuted BUT NOT forsaken; struck down BUT NOW destroyed.  The treasure that Paul talks about here, if you look in the preceding passage, is the light of the gospel.

Jesus said in John 16:33, "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”  Jesus Himself said that we would have tribulation in this world, but because He has overcome the world, we can have the peace of God that surpasses all understanding and guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).  Tribulation, yes, but NOT to the point of being crushed, in despair, forsaken, or destroyed because we have the light of the gospel.  We have the truth that the trials we face here on earth will come to an end one day when we are with our Savior face to face.  And that the trials that Jesus suffered Himself far surpass anything that we might face ourselves, so He is able to help us in our weakness. 


In my weakness, I am encouraged that though I feel helpless, anxious, fearful, His promise to me was that His strength will be manifest in my life and in my trial.  And I can testify that it has! I have felt His nearness as He has grown my faith, grown my prayer life, grown my hunger for His word and for Himself, and even my longing for Heaven.  I know we are not at all in the clear, but God has put my heart on a path to trust Him.