2 Corinthians 12:9 “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.” What power packed scripture truth. But do we walk in that truth? Do we have faith to move forward reminding ourselves of this truth? Have you ever been introduced to this truth? What is its meaning? I invite you to munch on it.
Thinking about it, when is His grace most necessary? When is His power made perfect? In our strength, at our peak moments of health, wealth and boundless energy, or in our weakness, when our tank is on ‘E’? When do we need to speak this truth over our lives and remind ourselves of it? I would argue in our most weak and vulnerable moments! In the ‘worth-it-hard’ walk when we face and know that in our own power, we can’t move the mountain that stands between us and our desired goal; that is when we need to be reminded of where our strength comes from. This brings more scripture to my mind.
Isaiah 40:26, 28-31 says,
“Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one
and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God;
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar high like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.”
How often have I thrown in the towel, told myself (the lie) that ‘it’s too hard’, not even giving the Lord the chance to show himself, his grace and his power sufficient? Too many times to count. If I were to look back on the multitude of times I gave up during the ‘worth-it-hard’, not relying on His grace to be sufficient, His power to rise to perfection in my weakness, to overcome, to walk in joyous victory….so many times I didn’t walk in faith, without understanding.
2 Corinthians 12:9 (above), when pondered is a call to something isn’t it? Isn’t it a call to the ‘worth-it-faith in the hard’? It feels to me like a call to faith in action. Take the step in our weakness and lean on The One whose grace is sufficient and able, to make us able, to tackle the ‘worth-it-hard’, not in our own strength but in His. Speaking that scripture over our insufficiency, claiming and leaning on the promise of His sufficiency is like breathing life, speaking life over our circumstance we find ourselves in. In my own life, it has been the difference maker.
Paradoxically, His grace is the power to say a very necessary and appropriate ‘no’ for the people pleaser who is afraid to say ‘no’, when you need to say the very hard- ‘no’. (I’ve been there!) Alternatively, it may be the power to say, ‘yes’ for the ‘worth-it-hard’ need that you can fill. (I’ve been there too!). I’ve straddled that fence so many times.
How do you determine your ‘yes’, your ‘no’? What is your ‘why’? Is your ‘why’ motivated by guilt or motivated by love? Faith or fear? There is a difference. The same action or choice can be carried out with different heart motives. I am either doing everything from the fallacy that I am operating exclusively in my own strength and power, alternatively I am operating from understanding that every breath, every ability I have has been given to me from above. Every bit of wisdom is from Him. Every bit of power, strength, ability, wisdom is from the Creator of the universe.
Romans 11:36 states, “For from him (Jesus) and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.”
Be encouraged! The One who tells us, ‘Go! Do!’, will give us the ability to go and to do.
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