July 30, 2021 – Click here to listen
Weakness is seen as a terrible thing in our society. “Only the strong survive” is the accepted mantra worldwide and most everyone spurns the weakling. Many are ashamed that they are weak. Many pray that their weakness will be removed by God. Paul did just that in 2 Corinthians when he pleaded with God three times to takeaway an infirmity from him, he referred to it as a “thorn in the flesh” being given to him. (It is widely believed that the infirmity was poor eyesight, but I’m not sure if that is what it is.)
The Lord refused, telling him that His grace was sufficient for Paul and His strength was made perfect in weakness. Instead of resenting the fact that God did not do as he asked and remove his infirmity, from that point forward, Paul felt glorified by his weakness and took pleasure in knowing that the power of Christ would rest upon him for it.
Time and again throughout the Bible, God chose weak and seemingly poor choices of servants to perform His work. Moses for example had a speech defect. He pleaded with God to choose someone else to be the CEO for the tribe of Israel. God told him not to worry about it, it was God who would deal with those problems, and He did. God could have removed the speech defect, but He chose not to, thereby demonstrating His magnificent power of utilizing the weak to take down the most powerful ruler of the world the Pharoah of Egypt. It was God who did it, and not Moses.
When he was but a young kid David used a slingshot to kill Goliath the most feared warrior of the land is another example. God utilizes the weak for His own purposes as He sees fit. It boils down to me to be a matter of faith. We do not know when, where, or how, but we should have faith that in the time of His choosing things will bloom and yield fruit for those who remain faithful. But we must understand that God will not always respond affirmatively to our prayers of faith and sometimes His answer is going to be no.
Keep in mind that He did not respond affirmatively to His own Son’s prayer in Gethsemane either, so do not feel that you are being singled out if your prayer is not answered according to what “you” think is the right answer. The right answer to us may be the exact opposite of the right answer for God. The good thing about that scenario is that God knows all, and alas we do not. We should just pray as we are led to pray but roll with the punch and await God’s decision knowing that it is always perfect and accept it.
Christ’s proclamation and Paul’s summary below should be a great model for us to follow:
2 Cor. 12:9
And He said to me, “My grace is
sufficient for you, for My strength is
made perfect in weakness.” Therefore
most gladly I will boast
in my infirmities, that the power of
Christ may rest upon me.
Therefore I take pleasure in
infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in
persecutions, in distress, for
Christ’s sake. For when I am weak,
then I am strong.
Have a great weekend and go to church this Sunday!