The Power of Weakness

The reality that we are fully loved by an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-seeing, perfect God can be more than many of us can grasp. We struggle with the idea that a God as Holy as our own, who also calls us to holiness, could gaze upon us –and all our flaws – with anything more than love derived from pity and tedious frustration. 

As we contemplate His greatness, we question how God, through whom all creation exists, could so deeply desire servants as messy as we. If we have not fully comprehended His all-encompassing love for us, we reject the concept as null because we humans are incapable of it.

This inner battle to accept that God loves us exceedingly rages strongest during those seasons in which we have relied on our power – and failed.

We eventually become spiritually and mentally exhausted and frustrated by our futility because we have trusted our ability to forgive, succeed, change, grow, or cope without God.

Deceived by self-righteousness and unknowingly drunk with pride, we suddenly awaken from our self-propelled stupor to find that our journey has led us to the unmistakable doors of our shortcomings, faults, or outright sinfulness. Whispers of doubt rise to the surface of our subconscious because of disappointment. And though we desperately want to believe that we are loved, somewhere, in the deepest, darkest part of our hearts – we fear that we are not.

Yet, because He has proven Himself to us time and time again, we are just as desperate to cling to the hope that He is with us, for we have come to understand that without Him, we are nothing.

The stories of our lives have produced immeasurable evidence of a personal, powerful, proactive God. And His faithfulness has impressed upon us the magnitude of His power.

Having walked with Him beside us-

Having thrown exhausted arms around His neck as He carried us-

Having clasped frantically onto His waiting hand when He rescued us from almost falling times without number-

we know that our only hope lies in Him, for without Him, we have no hope.

So we refuse to give up. Though worn and weary, we press closer toward Him. Every other step seems to introduce new pain, but our righteous fear of turning away from Him supersedes the fear of our circumstances.

We are beaten.

We are bruised.

We are overwhelmed.

But we are not overcome.

Yet, our intimate experience with His faithfulness only deepens our confusion about why He has not answered our cry.

These times of great weakness, when our soul cries out in despair, are not designed to destroy us.

These are God-orchestrated moments.

A loving God has intentionally appointed them to draw us closer to Him. These great chasms – these seemingly unsurpassable gulfs are God-dispensed seasons wherein we are allowed to throw our hands up in surrender, fall into His arms, and boldly acknowledge that we are human, frail, and weak.

Then, in our weakness, as the power of God rests upon us, we find new strength.

We begin to experience hope.

We are surrounded by peace.

We learn to embrace joy.

We understand that we can choose to forgive.

In these tremendous and gloriously prescribed points of weakness, we willingly take up our cross and follow our Savior, finally able to declare as He did, “Nonetheless, thy will be done.”

Here in our own Gethsemane, we bow ourselves low and pray feverishly for strength. We sweat so profusely that we could almost swear the drops glinted red with blood, and then, He appears. He gathers us closer into His presence and gently strengthens us so that we might finish the journey. And the same power that raised Christ from the dead falls upon us, as He lifts us, steadies us, and leads us through our journey. 

Through this journey, we begin to resemble His Son and reflect His glory, and we find that

He will not give up on us.

He will not forsake us.

He does not forget us.

But, like a grand champion, He will proudly display our lives as a banner of His love so that the world will know that God gives victory over sin, shortcomings, and weakness.

And so, we press on because we have tasted the Lord – and He is good.

The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. (Romans 8:11)

For further study: Romans 8:9-11, 2 Corinthians 4:8-9

For prayer on today’s topic, visit Daily Hope & Prayer.