Be Weak To Be Strong

God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

Matthew 5:3

The word was out about a new rabbi on the scene. He had been preaching and teaching and healing and was drawing larger crowds each day. This was apparently his first substantive address, though he had been teaching in their synagogues. What would he say? What agenda would he push? Would he razzle-dazzle them? Would he scold and rant?

His first words were those of today’s verse, above.

The word translated “poor” is a word that means destitute; it describes those with no ability to provide for themselves, those who are completely dependent on others to supply their needs. It describes a beggar. Jesus could have used a less stark word, one that would mean the working poor, those who barely got by day to day. Instead, he used a word that meant utterly impoverished.

The first thing he wanted to say was that the Kingdom belonged to those who recognized that they were incapable of providing spiritually for themselves. They brought nothing with them that would give them entrance to the Kingdom. They could do nothing that would give them stature in the Kingdom. They could possess the Kingdom only by receiving everything from the hand of another.

Our weakness is our greatest asset in the Kingdom. It is in our weakness that God meets us and displays his power most clearly. Only when we are confronted with our own helplessness can we experience the power of Christ in us. He promises his power in our weakness.

Let your helplessness and your weakness be the offering you bring to him. He is not waiting for you to be strong. He is waiting for you to recognize that you are weak.

Lord, I freely admit that, apart from you, I am empty and weak. Let my emptiness be the condition that gives you room to fill me with yourself.

Your helplessness is your best prayer. It calls from your heart to the heart of God with greater effect than all your uttered pleas. He hears it from the very moment that you are seized with helplessness, and He becomes actively engaged at once in hearing and answering the prayer of your helplessness.

Ole Hallesby(1879–1961), Norwegian pastor and writer