Grace Under Stress

I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:10

Stress testing, fatigue testing, performance testing, load testing, destruction testing—they all mean the same thing: pushing something beyond its designed capability in order to measure its capacity to withstand pressure and to discover its breaking point. If it breaks before reaching designed limits, it’s back to the drawing board.

God allows His children to undergo stress testing—like a treadmill cardiac stress test. Cardiac tests are not designed to induce a heart attack, but they are designed to discover weaknesses in “the system.” When God allows us to undergo stress in our lives, it is not to kill us but to help us see our own human weaknesses—and turn to Him. The apostle Paul had a “thorn in the flesh” that caused him great weakness, and it forced him to avail himself of the grace of God (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). In fact, he said he now took pleasure in stress because “when I am weak, then I am strong” (verse 10).

If you are experiencing stress in your life, embrace it as an opportunity to receive the grace of God.

Christian doctrine is grace, and Christian conduct is gratitude.

J. I. PACKER