His grace is sufficient

There are times in life when I feel very weak. When I am faced with a huge task, when I see a loved one sick or going through trials, when I am confronting something evil that looks to me like Goliath, then I feel weak.

None of us likes to feel this way. We have been brought up in a society that admires strength; that lauds being in control; that sings "I did it my way." We are told that speaking of your vulnerability is wrong. Being emotional at work is wrong. Acknowledging that a task is daunting is wrong. Everybody is trying to project themselves as leading a perfect - and successful - life. We don't need help from anyone; we can manage just fine, thank you.

The Bible tells us a different story.

1 We did not save ourselves

The Bible tells us that we did not save ourselves. We did not decide to look upon Christ and see the light of the knowledge of God's glory in his face. We are saved because the same God who created everything that exists, and who in the beginning said, "Let there be light" (Genesis 1:3), has shone that light into our hearts:

"For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." (2 Corinthians 4:6-7, NIV)

The power that awakened us to the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, through hearing the gospel, was God's power. Thank God that he took that amazing, grace-filled, step. When I feel weak I can remind myself that I desperately need the power of God at work in my life. Without that power, I would be dead in my sins.

2 We need to trust God

God is completely in control of our lives. If we seem to be riding stormy seas, God has put us there for a reason, therefore, we must not try to interpret what is going on by reference to the wisdom of this world. Our world tells us that life should be easy and without difficulties; that something is going wrong when we are confronted with trials and problems and if we are meeting these trials in our marriage or work, then maybe we are in the wrong marriage or we have the wrong job.

But...if we remember that God is in control and put our trust in Him, then we will seek His wisdom to interpret what is going on. We don't run away from problems, we seek God's strength to deal with them. We use the power that we hold in our jar of clay (our body) for God's glory. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." (NIV)

When I feel weak, I can remind myself to trust in God for answers to my situation.

3 His grace is sufficient

How may times have you asked - even pleaded with - God to get you out of a situation? "Please God, relieve me of this difficult job!" "Please God, intervene so that I don't have to face this situation!" My experience is that sometimes God does intervene. He may not intervene in the way that I would like, but he does intervene. However, there are plenty of times when that has not happened and I have had to continue doing a job I really do not like or confront someone with the truth about something, or face up to my own inability.

God does not want us to run away from challenges; he wants us to pray for his grace to face them:

"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me." (2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV)

If we always run away from things, we never grow as Christians. And our very weakness keeps us humble, opens us up to the grace of God, helps us to remember that it is His power that we need to employ. The more we rely on God's power, the more the grace of God will be at work within us.

As Paul reminds us:

"That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:10, NIV)

Thank you Father God for revealing my weakness to me. Let your grace flow through me to your glory. Amen.