I swipe some mascara on while quickly stealing glances in my mirror, trying to keep my eyes on the road. Yet another Sunday where I’m applying makeup while driving (unless you’re my mother or a police officer in which case I apply makeup while my vehicle is fully stopped). When I finish, I drive faster than I need to, eyeing the GPS to see if I’m cutting down on time.
I wish I could say this is an anomaly, but I’m pretty consistent with running late on a Sunday. I wake up earlier, drive faster, and do more things in my car yet I still arrive late. It feels like a never-ending cycle.
Maybe you can relate. It might not be running late, but there is probably an area in your life that feels impossible. You’ve tried everything, more products, more shortcuts, more effort, more boundaries, more money, more popularity. The list goes on and on. It can feel like no matter how hard we try we still fail. We are still weak.
On one particular Sunday, reaching the peak of frustration while hitting every red light, I let out a frustrated cry of “No matter how hard I try, I am always late!”
Have you tried praying about it?
The thought came out of left field. It also felt silly. Why would I pray for God to help me not be late? I mean this is something I can prevent on my own. It was a consequence of my own actions. He doesn’t really need to help me. I can do this one on my own.
What I had was a fundamental misunderstanding about my weakness.
No Lighthearted Matter
The verses most people probably jump to when thinking about weakness are 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. Paul was a great minister of the faith. He was planting churches, encouraging other Christians, and was given “revelations” from the Lord (2 Corinthians 12:7). Paul was given a “thorn” or a weakness to keep him from pride. He pleaded with God to take it away, but God’s response was “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (12:9).
This I knew well. My weaknesses show me I’m not all that. Cool, cool I get that. So running late or being forgetful or even having a tendency towards road rage are all weaknesses that remind me I need help. I have limits. I have weaknesses. I have brokenness. And God’s sufficient through them all!
But that’s not the whole story.
Look at God’s answer to Paul as to why He hasn’t taken the thorn away. It was because “His power is made perfect in weakness.” What does that mean? And why does it make Paul boast of and be content in his weaknesses?
It is because this thorn – and all our thorns – show us that we don’t just have weaknesses but that we are weak.
Our Grave Condition
The verse I really needed to jump to when thinking over this was in John 15.
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
(John 15:4-7)
Note verse 5. We can do nothing apart from Christ. Just like a branch on the ground, we are fruitless. For me, I had weaknesses and limits, but I thought I could work around them. What I needed to recognize was that I did not simply have weaknesses, but that I am weak and limited. I needed to take my weaknesses seriously.
Author Peter Scazzero points out that in the garden Adam and Eve believed the lie that they were unlimited. “Rather then receive God’s limit, Adam and Eve became convinced God might be withholding something good from them” (pg 91). What they – and we – did not realize is that God gave them boundaries out of love because He knew they were limited. We are limited. We are weak. When we live outside of that, we live in chaos, burdens, and busyness. We live in overwhelm. However, when we surrender to our limits, we acknowledge we are not God.
This realization is what God wanted for Paul – and us! – because it leads to abundant blessings. In order to abide, we need to recognize our need. A branch that believes it doesn’t need the vine will not stay connected. God doesn’t want us to miss the blessing of His love and goodness in His presence. The fruit the vine produces in us is sweet (Galatians 5:22-23). He wants us to experience this fruit. He wants us to experience abundant life. This abundant life is only present when connected to the vine. It is not enough to do most of life on our own and then come to God when we run into a weakness. We can do nothing apart from Him.
A Serious Savior
But to take weakness seriously is a scary thing. It feels vulnerable, exposing, and unsafe. Weakness in a world obsessed with being strong feels like we are failures, unlovable, and unworthy.
Yet in an ultimate display of weakness was true power shown.
God Himself, Jesus Christ, took on weak, limited flesh to live and breathe among us (Philippians 2:7). He lived in perfect love toward God and others. Jesus was so connected to the Father, He so resided in the Father, that nothing He did was apart from Him (John 5:19). He had no failures.
But He didn’t just come to live. He came to die.
Jesus knew we were completely weak – seriously dead even (Ephesians 2:1). He gave His life to cover our disease-ridden mistakes and bridge the gap between a holy, perfect God and an unholy, imperfect people. He chose weakness so we could be made strong. Through this display of weakness, His glorious power was displayed. Now, we have full access to this resurrection power (Romans 8:11). His power was made perfect in weakness.
Do we take our weakness seriously? Look back at 2 Corinthians. When Paul encountered His weakness, He turned first to prayer, not to quick-fixes or distractions or more effort. He turned first to God. What we turn to first shows what we take seriously. Do we take our Savior seriously? Do we believe we can do nothing apart from Him? Do we believe He has the power to cover every weakness, the power to bring us to life? Do we believe abiding in His power is the greatest blessing?
Jesus sees our weakness and loves us anyway. We should take this gift very seriously.
Resources
- Emotionally Healthy Discipleship by Peter Scazzero
- Philippians 2
- Enjoy Your Prayer Life by Michael Reeves
Overwhelmed 