“And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.” Hebrews 11:32-34
I am humbled in learning the level of powerlessness I indeed possess. Even now, as I work through the truths of the relationship I have with my heavenly Father I have a sense of smallness — inability — impossibility — inadequacy — the lack of strength. But, God tells us that in this weakness, in this inability, I am strong! This is one of the Bible’s most perplexing oxymoron’s (I love that word by the way!). It has the logic of making no sense. And if you are anything like me, things that make sense are things I am more apt to understand, buy, believe.
But this idea of being strong or having the strength of Christ in me when I am at my most vulnerable and weakest state goes against what my senses experience and therefore, my belief becomes faith in what He says is true!
Look, I’ve been there and you’ve been there — a moment when in fact we know and possibly even say, “I can’t do this!” A confession of sorts, a surrender of will and acknowledgment of realization that whatever is required of me in this moment, I can’t deliver! The funny thing is, it doesn’t stop me from trying. I give it my all, pouring as much of me into the moment as possible. I then turn, glance at Jesus, throw a wink with an “A-OK” and end up making a mess of things. As I’ve said before, when I back the truck up and dump me onto the situation instead of trusting in the promises of Christ, life turns sour quick.
God has given us many examples in the weakness of man where God’s strength is evident. It’s living in the world of things impossible every day and trusting in His promise! It’s not expecting the mouths of lions to close, but trusting He’ll close them. It’s not expecting the ability to destroy the palace after disobedience, but trusting He’ll give the strength needed to destroy it through repentance. It’s not expecting a boat of that size to float, but trusting in His word that building something of that size will indeed float. It’s not expecting a record catch, but trusting His word to cast the net on the other side. It’s not expecting to be freed from jail, but trusting in His purpose while sitting in jail.
God is so much bigger than I give Him credit. Through obedience, His strength in me overshadows my weakness. Through Christ all things are given strength in me! Do I know the Savior intimately enough to allow Him to take control, through the surrender of my will, and become my strength? In honesty, those moments make my knees rattle a bit.
Lord Jesus, you know me better than I know myself. My strength is far less than your weakness, so in my weakness give me your strength. Increase my faith in you, increase my longing to remain so intimately in fellowship with you that in moments where I am weak, I trust in You!
“For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.” I Corinthians 1:25
by: Mark Cruver