Resting In His Strength - Cultivating a Still Heart in a Noisy World

“Rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” (Philippians 2:7, NIV)

“Are you okay, Mommy?” My son’s little eyes stared up at me, awaiting my answer. I guess I wasn’t hiding my feelings as well as I thought. The answer to the question was pretty complicated, actually.

Because Graham is only three, it’s not his role to carry the weight of his Mommy’s life. So weary and exhausted, I looked at him and said with a warm smile, “Yeah, buddy, I’m going to be okay.”

Because that was the truth. I was going to be okay, even if I didn’t feel it at that moment.

I’m just going to say it: I don’t like being weak. At all. But the irony of life is that it’s meant to extract your weakness. Whether it’s physically, emotionally, or even spiritually—

weakness is bound to catch up with all of us.

But the Jesus way means embracing our weakness.

If you really think about it, it’s pretty radical that in weakness, Jesus, God incarnate, came to earth.

In weakness, He was born as a vulnerable baby in a vulnerable stable.

In weakness, He walked as fully God and fully man, acquainting Himself with our brokenness. In weakness, Jesus was mocked, beaten, forced to carry a cross to Calvary, and died one of the most vulnerable deaths the world has ever seen.

Philippians 2:7 says that He emptied Himself, taking on the ultimate form of a servant. A.W. Tozer explains, “He had everything, but he possessed nothing. There is the spiritual secret.”

Jesus willingly embraced weakness in order to prioritize the Father’s strength.

So let me ask us: if our Savior who put on weakness for us relied on God’s strength, how much more should we not lean on our own strength but on the One who sent His son AND conquered the grave for us?

Even though by nature we are weak, I would argue that because we live in a culture that glorifies strength and independence, practicing weakness and dependence is actually essential.

Quiet faith means leaning into our dependence and weaknesses. It means coming to the Lord and having real, honest, and vulnerable conversations with Him about all the areas that we need him. It means opening up His Word daily, knowing that it is water for our thirsty souls.

Unlike my full ability to tell Graham all that was going on in my moment of weakness, the Lord already knows. He can handle it and even desires to hold us in our weakness.

For “when we are weak, we are strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).

Friend, I hope you have experienced the joy and restoration these past 5 days as you’ve spent intentional time in God’s presence. I pray that when the world gets loud again, you will return to this quiet faith devotional and remember the peace that comes when you abide in Christ.

Challenge:

End these 5 days by setting aside 15 minutes for unhurried prayer, worship, or rest in God’s presence.