February 14 – Understanding Weakness (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”(2 Corinthians 12:9)

IN WORD:
Why does human reasoning run so contrary to God’s ways? It seems only logical that if we want to be strong, we should strive to be strong. If we want victory, we should exert power. If we want success, we should learn strategies for success. This makes sense in any line of reasoning — except God’s. His methods don’t fit our logic because His purposes do not match ours. He will not divert His glory to His creatures. Our victories must come from His hands. And for Him to be glorified in them, His hands must be visible.
That is why God has us fighting our battles from a state of weakness. We fight from a position of strength — in Him — but in a natural state of weakness so that His demonstration of power will not be clouded by our own resources and feeble self-efforts. It is a hard lesson for a Christian to learn. We are strongest when we are weakest.
Paul was tormented by a messenger of Satan. We don’t know how that messenger manifested itself, though theories abound. What we do know is that God, in His wisdom, did not remove the thorn in Paul’s flesh. He used it as an occasion to demonstrate His powerful grace. And Paul, in wisdom that can only come from God, learned to accept his hardship for the greater good of displaying God’s strength.

IN DEED:
When you find yourself in the heat of a battle — and any Christian living a godly life often will — resist the urge to muster up strength. Call on His. Acknowledge your natural condition. It only stands to reason that fallen, finite beings will always be outmatched in a life-or-death spiritual struggle. Let no pride talk you out of accepting that truth. Embrace it and lean on His grace, understanding that the key to your battle today is His power — a power that will only be revealed when you stop trying to rival it. Your sufficiency is in what He brings to the situation: HIMSELF!

“We have no power from God unless we live in the persuasion that we have none of our own.” -John Owen-