It’s a strange conundrum that we try so hard to be strong, yet God delights in our weakness. In fact, God invades our weakness, and is able to do wonderful things in and through us in the areas of our weakness, rather than the areas of our strength.
There are a number of evidences of this in scripture, such as God sending Gideon to battle with just 300 men, so it would be obvious that God gave the victory.
“The Lord said to Gideon, You have too many people for Me to deliver Midian into their hands, lest Israel glorify themselves over Me, saying, My hand delivered me.” Judges 7:2
The Apostle Paul spoke of his weakness being the area where God’s strength could shine through, so he rejoiced in his weakness, rather than his strength.
“God said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me. That is why, for the sake of Christ, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2Corinthians 12:9,10
How crazy that sounds. We don’t employ people or promote people based on their weaknesses. We look for strength. The greater the personal capacity the more valuable the employee, or the sporting hero, or the acclaimed performer. There is no parallel in our culture for what God does in His work with us. It is counter-intuitive.
So let’s look at what it means for you. Firstly it shows that you are not judged based on your natural ability. Some churches promote people based on their speaking gifts, musical talent, or other natural skills. They think like corporations. But God does not consider someone more or less spiritual or valuable to Him based on their natural capacities. You may be wheel-chair bound, or have a speech impediment, or be diseased, but no such things make you a lesser person to God.
Those who speak at great gatherings, or write or sing the loveliest songs, or use amazing talents to glorify God are considered by people to be more valuable to God. Yet God is delighted with weakness, and especially with the heart, which is quite apart from our natural abilities.
Secondly it shows that you can have powerful ministry because of your weaknesses. I don’t say ‘in spite of your weaknesses’ but ‘because’ of them. When God works through you despite your weaknesses, then you are a living testimony to God. When God works through you despite all the messes you have made and failures you have achieved then you are a living testimony to God.
If you can say, “God is blessing me because I am a top performer, high achiever, cream of the crop type of person, with the right personality profile, excellent grades, high IQ, abundant natural talent, and amazing good looks”, then that is a downer for everyone else.
On the other hand if you can say, “God rescued me from my uselessness and stupidity, despite me having damaged everything of value in my life, and with not even enough sense to know how out of order I was, and God has now set me free, cleaned me up, revealed talents in me I didn’t know He’d put there, and opened doors for me that should never have been opened”, then you are an encouragement to everyone.
Thirdly it shows that there are directions of ministry ready for you, outside what you may have ever expected. I often speak to groups of men in drug rehab, or in various support groups for people struggling through issues in life. Among those men I have found some amazing gems of God’s grace, who have a beautiful heart and amazing ministry that only came about through their own failure and pain. People who have been dragged to the bottom have often risen to be amazing and gracious people full of power and compassion that they never had before their downfall.
Someone put it this way, “God speaks out of your weaknesses, not your strengths.”
God’s voice is heard loudest and clearest when spoken through a broken vessel and a rebuilt life. Many of those who have had great impact across the generations are people who went down before they came up. People who have been humbled and stripped of things they once relied on have risen as those who are humble and holding onto the Lord, not their own credentials.
So let me encourage you to walk close with God, and to humble yourself before Him. Stop giving yourself credit for what you think are the plusses in your life and give regard to what God can do in and through your weaknesses. Stop despising yourself for your failures or weaknesses. Instead, give them to God and let Him be Lord of all of you, including all those shameful and pitiful things about you.
Are you an under-achiever? Give that to God. Are you a slow thinker and talker? Give that to God. Are you easy to ignore? Give that to God. Have you made some huge blunders? Give that to God. Have your brought shame on yourself and your family? Give that to God. Have you championed the wrong causes? Give that to God. Have you been foolish, arrogant, stupid or wasteful? Give that to God. Have you been to prison, or gone broke? Give that to God. Have you destroyed relationships? Give that to God. Have you been immoral and hurt others? Give that to God. Have you blasphemed and mocked God? Give that to God. Whatever else you have done that is shameful, give that to God.
And, having done that, humble yourself before God and look for the wonderful and powerful hand of God In Your Weakness.
Chris Field says
May God bless you, despite your weaknesses – and even THROUGH your weakness.
To hear this post read to you, by Ps Chris himself, catch the Video version on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/9JmJCDCB6Jg
Find my videos on the “Getting On With Life” YouTube Channel at
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfENkOdxVQLk7X6RUPM25vg
Or find my Videos on FaceBook at Wisdom for Life.
https://www.facebook.com/Wisdom-For-Life-1024165624460706/