God Uses Our Weakness

 

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (ESV)

Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰ For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Devotion:

            Weakness is usually not a trait that we boast about in our society. Both men and women are taught that being strong and in command is the way to get ahead. Everyone likes to be seen as competent and confident. That fact is why today’s scripture seems so out of place. Paul, here, is not only admitting that he is weak and subject to all kinds of indignities but is proud of that fact. The fact that Jesus himself tells Paul to be proud of his weaknesses in the verses preceding the ones we are considering here does little to change our modern sense that one ought not to be proud of one's weakness.

            Can we, as 21st-century Christians, learn to boast in our weakness? The fact that Bible-believing Christianity is no longer a majority segment of the population in the USA can help us understand how weak we indeed have become. We must sense the cultural walls closing in on us. Christianity is not an excellent or desirable thing in our environment. In fact, the world is hostile to Christ's followers in our day and age. Given the facts on the ground today, we should embrace our weakness and seek to live it out.

            Since we no longer have a dominant place in the world, we must live as the Apostle Paul learned to live. He endured all sorts of indignities but remained steadfast, looking to Jesus and His suffering and death on the cross as a model. Christ, Paul, and all the first disciples suffered greatly for proclaiming Jesus and His resurrection to their culture. Those of us alive today must learn to accept the same mistreatment at the hands of those who now wield power and authority. We can do this because we know how the story ends. The cause of Christ will prevail, and our resilience will be our strength.

            We should be encouraged by the history of the church. She has prospered and grown whenever and wherever the church has been persecuted. It is only when the church achieves some degree of cultural cache that she grows lazy and eventually suffers great loss. This is true, going back to Jesus. The ancient saying that “the blood of martyrs is the seed of the church” is still true today. We should petition God out of our weakness, filled with hope, to send refreshing and revival to the church wherever and in whatever condition she finds herself today.

Prayer:

            Holy God, as a church, we have become weak in the face of today’s culture. Teach us to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to empower us to work for your kingdom out of our weakened state. Jesus was never more potent than when He hung upon His cross. Encourage us, O Lord, to work so that Jesus's name would be again famous. Lord, be our strength. Let our weaknesses be an aid to doing your will, not a hindrance. Glorify yourself in us today. Amen.