November 30
November 30
Weakness does not hinder God’s plan. It is an essential part of it.
I sat in my favorite chair, too weak to move. I hated being that weak. I had never envisioned myself becoming so frail. I am project oriented. I always wake up with an agenda for the day. I have always been strong and productive and able to work quickly. But suddenly all of those abilities were gone. As I sat in that chair day after day, the Holy Spirit worked conviction into my heart. I had to confess that much of what I had thought was faith in Christ wasn’t that at all. I had a lot of pride in my own strength and accomplishments. But because he loves me, God did not leave me in that prideful state. Pride is the enemy of grace. Pride drives us away from the Lord, not to him. In those very hard moments of weakness, I began to experience a deeper trust and joy in my Savior. God used my weakness to change me, to rescue me from me, and to wrap his arms of love around me and draw me close. If this was what it took for God to work transformation in my heart, then every moment of weakness was worth it.
We tend to hate weakness because we hate being dependent. We love stories of unusual strength and control because we quietly wish those traits for ourselves. The problem is that God did not create us for independent, self-sufficient living. He created us to be dependent on him and on the human tools he places in our lives. The fact of the matter is that everyone is weak. The humbling truth is that we are all a collection of weaknesses, held together by strong cords of grace and mercy. Because God designed us to be dependent, we know that weakness cannot hinder his great plan for us; rather, weakness and dependence are essential parts of that plan. Note how Paul talks about his weakness:
To keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 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. 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. (2 Cor. 12:7–10)
In the face of his weakness, Paul did what all of us would do: he prayed again and again for it to be removed. God answered Paul’s prayer—not by removing his weakness but by meeting him with the grace of divine power. Why? Because weakness was God’s tool to deliver Paul from pride and self-reliance. In the hands of the Redeemer, weakness is a workroom for transforming grace. Are you content with weakness, knowing that God uses it to work in you and through you?