“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”
Isaiah 40:29
We serve a God who makes the incapable capable. All throughout the Bible we see God taking people who are weak and making them powerful. He took Moses, a fugitive who couldn’t speak well, and made him the leader of the Israelites exodus from Egypt. He took David, the smallest of his whole family, and made him the most powerful king Israel ever knew. He took Jesus, the son of a carpenter from a disreputable city, born out of wedlock, and made him the savior of all mankind. Our God works mightily through those who are weak in the eyes of the world.
In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Paul says, “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.”
He learned that God is truly able to do what Isaiah said he would. Not only that, but Paul learned to love his weakness, to even be proud of it, because of what God was able to do with it. It seems crazy to be proud of your weakness, doesn’t it? That’s because in the world, we are told to hide weaknesses and brag about strengths. Exposing our weaknesses makes us vulnerable. But Paul learned that God can use our weaknesses to show his power. It is when we are truly at our weakest that we must rely on God fully to provide our strength. When we rely on his strength instead of our own, he can do mighty things through us.
Unfortunately, we’re stubborn. We don’t want to admit weakness. We don’t want to accept help. We value autonomy and independence. The ironic thing is that even when we are feeling like we are at our most powerful moment, it’s nothing compared to God’s power in our weakness. When we are weak, then God can move strongly in us.
If you’re weak, God is strong. If you’re tired, God will carry you. God is powerful despite our weakness. Turn to him to let his power work through your weakness.
Prayer:
Father,
Humble me, and let me see my weakness. Let me not hide from it or be ashamed, but instead, use my weakness for your kingdom. Use my weakness to be your power. Help me to be vulnerable, to accept my weakness, and to look for your presence in it.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
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