Weakness and confidence just don’t seem to go together, do they? It’s the bravest and brashest heroes we’re attracted to in books or movies, not the tiny, the wimpy or the tame. If we do enjoy characters with faults and flaws, it’s often because they are being made fun of or being put down.
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Yet in God’s economy, it’s often the weak who are valued. Think of little David who approached Goliath with just a few stones. One glimpse of his circumstances and most of us would say, “He’s a goner!” Or the Apostle Paul who freely admitted his failures, saying, “I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses.” Paul loved to shout out his temptations and shortcomings. Yet God used Paul powerfully.
God loves your weakness, for that’s where He shows up with strength. If you feel feeble or faint in your prayers for the military and our nation – or in any part of your Christian life – admit it to Him so he can empower you to approach His throne…where He lovingly waits to answer your prayers.
1-5 You’ve forced me to talk this way, and I do it against my better judgment. But now that we’re at it, I may as well bring up the matter of visions and revelations that God gave me. For instance, I know a man who, fourteen years ago, was seized by Christ and swept in ecstasy to the heights of heaven. I really don’t know if this took place in the body or out of it; only God knows. I also know that this man was hijacked into paradise—again, whether in or out of the body, I don’t know; God knows. There he heard the unspeakable spoken, but was forbidden to tell what he heard. This is the man I want to talk about. But about myself, I’m not saying another word apart from the humiliations.
6 If I had a mind to brag a little, I could probably do it without looking ridiculous, and I’d still be speaking plain truth all the way. But I’ll spare you. I don’t want anyone imagining me as anything other than the fool you’d encounter if you saw me on the street or heard me talk.
7-10 Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me,
My grace is enough; it’s all you need.
My strength comes into its own in your weakness.
Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.2nd Corinthians 12:1-10 [Message]
Written by Meagan Gillan
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