“So man will be brought low and mankind humbled. But the Lord Almighty will be exalted by his justice, and the holy God will show himself holy by his righteousness.” (Isaiah 5:15)
“Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take [the thorn] away from me. 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. 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.” (Paul, in 2 Corinthians 12:8-10)
One of the main threads woven through the Bible is the idea that true strength comes not from human power, but from a humble acknowledgment of weakness and a desperate dependence upon divine power. This theme is perhaps best captured in the image of a helpless baby, born in squalor, marked for suffering and death…but destined to rise triumphant as the mighty Savior of mankind. I’m not sure about you, but it takes me about 15 seconds each morning to remember my weaknesses. (Some days, just rolling out of bed can serve as an instant humbler.) I hope you find it as encouraging as I do, then, that the Lord not only knows and understands our weaknesses — be they spiritual, physical, intellectual, emotional, etc. — but that he loves to display his strength through us when we realize we are at our weakest.
Heavenly Father and Lord Almighty, we praise you today for your strength and holiness and righteousness, and we thank you that you meet us in our weakness to show your mighty power through our lives. When we are weak, then we are strong in you. Fill us afresh with joy and expectation today as we rely upon your strength. Amen.
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