Power in Weakness – Week One

A few months ago, I was invited to teach on the topic of power. Typically, I am quick to take advantage of teaching opportunities, but I decided I would pass this time. Truth be told, God’s strength and power seemed distant. Weak and weary provided a much better description of my current state. 

But then, God convicted me. I had my thinking backward. Somehow, I had come to the false conclusion that to experience God’s power, I needed to be strong. However, God’s word tells us just the opposite. As God’s Spirit pushed hard against my unhealthy thinking, He reminded me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NASB)

Wait? Power is perfected in weakness? 

In other words, I don’t have to have it all together for God to work in and through me. His power in me is not based on my physical, spiritual, or emotional state. Instead, God’s power flows through me when I submit to and depend on Him. 

When you read 2 Corinthians chapters 11-12, you find that Paul had a strong resume of things he could boast about – his Jewish heritage, service to God’s kingdom, suffering for the gospel, and visions and revelations from heaven. But instead of applauding Paul’s achievements, God allowed what Paul describes as a “thorn in the flesh.” Paul begged God three times to remove this painful challenge. 

But God did not remove Paul’s challenge. Instead, He showed Paul that this suffering had a purpose – to keep Paul from pride. Listen to how Paul responds, “Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

I wonder what weakness you are experiencing today. It might be emotional instability, financial problems, sickness, spiritual stagnation, or lack of skill or talent. 

Personally, I have been experiencing a season of fatigue. The lack of energy seems to invade every aspect of life, leaving me less productive, less enthusiastic, and less confident. In my weakness, I feel inadequate and lacking. 

But in this weakness, I am experiencing God’s strength. Each day, I know He is sustaining me. My physical challenges have pointed me back to God’s power. I recognize that He is the source, and He has unlimited resources. My limitations are not limitations for Him. In fact, those limits are the very place where I am most prone to recognize God. And they are also the very place where others can see God’s power on display. 

Spiritual power is not about you or me; it’s about God. 

So today, I challenge you – place your weakness in God’s hands. Don’t limit God based on what you cannot do. Offer yourself – weakness and all – to Him and see what He will do.