“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”
2 Corinthians 12:9a
“I am my own worst critic.” How many of us have made that declaration?
And yet, it can be so true. We begin an endeavor with a certain picture in our minds of how it should work, but when it doesn’t, we think we have failed. We feel like we haven’t done that good a job.
Recently, I struggled with this feeling when delivering a sermon. And before I could get into a total pity-party about it, I felt what I believe to be a nudging from the Holy Spirit, reminding me, it’s not about me. What if the way I delivered that sermon was the exact way someone who was struggling needed to hear the message? What if, where I felt weak, was the place God wanted to use during that moment?
People really do not like to talk about personal weaknesses.
Why? Simply put, because it makes them feel imperfect. As if there is some sort of lack or deficiency.
Society celebrates strength. The world celebrates strength. History celebrates strength.
Look around our world, and you won’t have to go far to see signs of strength and ingenuity everywhere. Actually, I am more impressed by the works of our forefathers than some of the modern-day advances. They, because they started, engineered, and built societies, systems, and marvels without the history, know-how, and help of the things we heavily rely on today.
They were the pioneers of inventions that set the course for many others to follow. Yet, with them and the advances of today, geniuses, strongmen, and influencers, what many don’t recognize is that there is still a lack. The imperfect cannot dole out the perfect.
And while we appreciate their efforts and work done, if they become a source of fixation for us, as if they are a measuring rod of success, know that they are a fallible source to compare and lean upon.
So, what do we do when we need that true measuring rod? Where do we lean in the hard times? When we can’t figure out the next step, who shows us the way? When we feel like we are at the end of our rope, with no more strength to continue, then where do we turn? Where does our help come from?
The psalmist very plainly reminds us, “My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth,” (Psalm 121:2). A truth the apostle Paul had come to know when God spoke to him in his time of hardship, saying, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness,” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
For all of his advances, works, missionary journeys, and more, that great apostle had come to know that he could never lean on his own strength, human intellect, and inventiveness. In fact, he had matured significantly in his faith. As he plainly stated in Philippians 3:8, the worthlessness of all his successes was overshadowed by the “excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ.”
And when it came to the testimony of being “caught up to the third heaven” (2 Cor. 12:2), an experience that could well make one want to vaunt himself, he suffered a “thorn in the flesh” moment (2 Cor. 12:7) where only leaning upon God’s grace and strength could see him through.
We can easily become fixated on the great stories and accomplishments of others, and we tend to view their experiences through rose-colored glasses. Yet, what the apostle Paul’s experience teaches us, along with many others, is that they are still just humans like us. Although their stories may astound us at times (and rightfully so), for them to see the end God intended for them, they still had to rely, not on their performance or know-how, but on His grace and strength in those moments.
It is not only okay to work in the gifts, callings, and strengths God has blessed each of us with – it is expected. But know, at the end of the day, it is never about us. Even with the most promising feats of ingenuity, if God and His purposes are not at the center of our resourcefulness and strength to carry it through, then we are drawing from a well that will soon run dry.
But when we lean into Him, and recognize that His “strength is made perfect in weakness,” – even what appears to be failing can turn into a fantastic end of our story when it is God we lean upon and not ourselves or others.
Whenever you feel weak, my friend, consider this: this may be the perfect thing that God wants to use at the moment. Let your weakness rest in God’s perfect strength and do as Proverbs instructs: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding,” (3:5).
“Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 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 12:9b-10
Blessings ~
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