When I am Weak, Then I am Strong
by Lynda Scott
I have been thinking lately about the many paradoxes that are in the Bible. Last month I talked about ‘unless a seed dies it cannot live’ and how that applied to Jesus when He died on the cross. Without dying He could not have been raised to life again. The kingdom of God is filled with these paradoxes. They are kingdom truths and completely contrary to the thinking of the world. As believers in Christ we need to understand these kingdom truths and how to apply them in our lives.
Today I wanted to talk about another kingdom truth. Paul so beautifully compacts it in the final sentence of today’s scripture: ‘For when I am weak, then I am strong’. Paul has been struggling with what he describes as a thorn in the flesh and he’s not only asked, but begged, the Lord three times to take it away. Then Paul hears the Holy Spirit tell him a mind blowing truth, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness’. The Lord actually said this back to Paul three times; each time he asked. I’ve found that when something is repeated three times in the Bible the Lord really wants us to take notice. Paul came to such a place of humility that, instead of boasting of all the wonderful heavenly visions he’d seen and the revelations he had, all he wanted to boast about was his own weakness. Why would you want to boast about your weakness? The world only wants to boast about its achievements. But Paul realises that when he boasts of his weaknesses, then the power of Christ can work through him!
So many times in my life I`ve felt weak. It’s not a place that I’ve ever felt like boasting about. Life can be a real struggle. We can face so many challenges and I know sometimes what we’re facing can be too much. But in that place of weakness the Lord wants us to surrender our pride and He provides for us a heavenly exchange. We give him our weakness, then by his grace He gives us His strength. So many of you may be feeling weak today. That’s the best place to be, because now the power of Christ can work through you. So don’t despise your weakness, but, like Paul, boast, or rejoice in it. For when you’re weak then He’s strong!
Prayer: Dear Jesus, today I’m feeling very weak. I thank You that You’ve provided for me a heavenly exchange - my weakness for Your strength. So right now I give You the weakness, and ask You to empower me by Your grace. Let Your power work through me. Thank You that, when I’m weak, then I’m strong. What a wonderful Saviour You are. Amen.
Lynda Scott was first introduced to Ellel Ministries at a conference led by Peter and Fiona Horrobin in 1996 when she was miraculously healed following a devastating accident. Lynda has continued her association with Ellel Ministries over the years and has recently written her story “Lynda: From Accident & Trauma to Healing & Wholeness.” She lives in Australia with her husband Leigh and 3 children, who are all at school. She works in a local health clinic, as well as helping her husband with the administration of their beef cattle farm.
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