The Unseen Work Of God Within YouSample

Our Weakness Makes Room for His Power

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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

God does not use me in spite of my weakness; He uses me because of my weakness. In fact, because of my weakness, Christ’s power is seen. 

What is your weakness? Is it a physical problem? A mental problem? Failure in your past? Some emotional or spiritual struggle? Don’t simply be resigned to having this problem, but thank God that He uses you in your weakness. Yes, ask God to remove the problem, like Paul did. But meanwhile, glory in your weakness because Christ will be exalted.

The problem that you want to get rid of the most may actually be the thing you most need. Let your weakness drive you to God. The biggest enemy of your spiritual life is self-sufficiency. God uses weakness to cripple our self-sufficiency and pride and lead us closer to Christ.

Hear the testimony of God’s people:

According to Dr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor’s Hudson Taylor and the China Inland Mission, Hudson Taylor said, “Many Christians estimate difficulties in light of their own resources, and thus attempt little and often fail in the little they attempt. All God’s giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on His power and Presence being with them.”

Jim Cymbala, in Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire, said, “That evening, when I was at my lowest, confounded by obstacles, bewildered by the darkness that surrounded us, unable even to continue preaching, I discovered an astonishing truth: God is attracted to weakness. He can’t resist those who humbly and honestly admit how desperately they need Him. Our weakness, in fact, makes room for His power.” 

And Dane Ortlund purportedly stated, “The pattern in God’s work on earth is to channel His power through human weakness. God does not skim off the top ten percent—the most gifted, the most articulate, the smartest, the best educated—for significance in the kingdom. He picks the screw-ups. The nobodies. He picks people like you and me.”