Empowered In Your Weakness

Empowered in Your Weakness

Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:8-10

We live in a world that considers weakness a liability. No one wants to show any weakness, especially on the football field. A physically weak player doesn’t last very long in the league. If opponents knows where a player’s weak spots are, they have a better chance of capitalizing on them.

You might think from today’s verses that God wouldn’t make a good football coach. After all, He turns the idea of weakness on its head. He applauds weakness rather than criticizes it. That’s because to God, it denotes a change of heart.

Scripture never reveals what the apostle Paul’s “weakness” or “thorn in the flesh” was specifically. He certainly endured major physical pain throughout his missionary journeys—beatings, shipwrecks, jail sentences, hunger and thirst, homelessness. Certainly to survive such endless calamity attests to Paul’s physical fortitude. But Paul was helpless and weak and had no ability to do anything about what was happening, about the circumstances through which God was eventually glorified.

When Paul experienced heartache and despair—when he was physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually spent—God was lifted up and magnified. He worked through Paul’s weakness to show His greatness.

There were times on the sidelines during crucial moments in critical games when I knew that everyone was going to be looking to me for direction. The head football coach is supposed to have the answer to every situation his team is facing. Fourth down and inches—punt or go for it? Make a sure field goal or take a chance on a touchdown?

I didn’t have the answer.

All I could do was seek God’s peace and direction in prayer and admit that I couldn’t do it myself. And the result was an overwhelming peace that I was not alone—He was there and had never left.

In my weakness, He was lifted up.

And the answer came. Sometimes it worked. But the result wasn’t the important thing of that moment. What was important was that I had learned to rely on Him and knew He was always there.

Uncommon Key > Being vulnerable and showing your weakness is when “the power of Christ” can work through you. In the moments when you can’t, He can!