December 17 – Disciplines of the Mind: Weakness (Psalm 18)

“I love you, O Lord, my strength.”(Psalm 18:1)

IN WORD:
The most frustrating feeling we can have when our circumstances are overwhelming is our sense of powerlessness. We cannot pull enough strings to control hurtful people, to heal an illness or a broken relationship, or to ensure our own security in times of trouble. But often we try. We attempt strength, believing that enough will-power, self-effort, or money and power will make things right. Or we go in the other extreme, declaring our efforts futile and resigning ourselves to unpleasant situations. The balance between being passively weak and over assertive is hard to find.
Our identity is the issue. God tells us how he hates pride, so we don’t want to take things into our own hands and manipulate circumstances for our own purposes. Neither do we want to sit idly by while evil runs rampant. We don’t know who we are. Are we weak or are we strong? Are we David against Goliath, or are we David on the run from Saul? Are we Elijah embarrassing 450 prophets of Baal, or are we Elijah running away from Jezebel? Are Christians to roar like lions or be eaten by them? It’s hard to know. God’s Word gives us both pictures.

IN DEED:
The reason we’re confused is that both pictures are accurate. We are weak. But we are strong. We have no power in ourselves, but we are not in ourselves, we are in Christ. Like Paul, we can do all things in Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). But like Paul, we delight in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:10). We have great strength, but not ours. We have amazing status, but we didn’t earn it. We can be incredibly influential in matters of eternity, but only by the Spirit who works within us.
The mind must be disciplined to know two extremes: our utter poverty of power and our indestructible position in Christ. When we focus on the former, we become helpless and impotent. When we focus on the latter, we become proud. But the balance will keep us humble, and it will change our lives dramatically. Our weakness is God’s opportunity to be strong.

“All God’s giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on His being with them.”
-Hudson Taylor-