| But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” |
| —2 Corinthians 12:9a |
Have you ever felt so weak in the face of trouble—physically, emotionally, intellectually, or spiritually—that you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that you couldn’t handle the situation in front of you? I have. And, I think God brings us through such times, maybe frequently. Yes, all of us, whom He intends to sanctify for His purposes, He brings through such times.
Young and inexperienced believers often think of themselves as capable of doing, in their own power, anything the Lord asks of them. Confident in their own physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual strength and capabilities, they sometimes look trouble in the eye with confident presumption, and think they are exercising faith.
“I presume my parents will get me out of any financial jam I can’t deal with.” Or: “I presume the medicine will take care of the problem.” Or: “I presume my talents and gifts will get me through tight spots at work.”
It usually only takes a few times, when these presumptions are proven wrong, that we begin to realize how insufficient we are to handle the things that assail our lives. And, what does God hope to accomplish by allowing us to “swim without a life preserver,” or to get sick with a deadly disease? The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:9b, after He made the statement in the Scripture that appears at the beginning of this blog post:
Therefore, [because God’s grace is sufficient] I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
He’s saying with a chuckle:
“Bring it on! I can’t handle this, but God, You can!”
Here’s what beloved preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, said about this verse: 1
Our weakness should be prized as making room for divine strength. We might never have known the power of grace if we had not felt the weakness of nature … God’s grace is enough for me! I should think it is. Is not the sky enough for the bird, and the ocean enough for the fish? The All-Sufficient is sufficient for my largest want.
Similarly, Joni Eareckson Tada points out that God becomes what we need:
In Isaiah 54 he becomes the Husband to the divorced woman. In Psalm 10 he becomes the Father of the orphaned. In Zechariah 2 he becomes the Wall of Fire to those who need protection. In Isaiah 62 he becomes the Bridegroom to the woman who grieves that she’ll never marry. In Exodus 15 he becomes the Healer to the sick. In Isaiah 9 he is the Wonderful Counselor to the confused and depressed. In John 4 he becomes the Living Water to the thirsty. In John 6 he’s the Bread of Life to those who are hungry for more than this world can give.
I suspect most of us will have the experience of weakness and insufficiency when facing trials of all sorts. God wants to show in us His strength and His sufficiency. Do we willingly face our troubles with a trust that allows Him to work His power through us?
Though we often learn slowly and painfully, He will patiently bring us to a place where He can trust us with such pain. Let us rejoice in His over-abiding presence, His over-abiding love, and His ability to prove His sufficiency in and through us.
| 1 Spurgeon, Charles Haddon, Faith’s Checkbook. Chicago: Moody Press, 1980. Entry for November 8th. |
| 2 Tada, Joni Eareckson, More Precious Than Silver. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998. Entry for August 30th. |
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