II Corinthians 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
Acknowledge your Weakness to Gain Christ’s Strength
Have you ever noticed the many people in the Bible with great strengths who fell because of a profound corresponding weakness? If I were to ask you who the strongest man in the Bible was, you might say Samson. There is truth to that. However, have you ever known a weaker man than Samson? He could not contain his own passions and ended up a slave without any sight or power. How about Moses? The Bible tells us that Moses was the meekest man on the earth, yet Moses lost his chance to go into Canaan because of rebellion when he lost his cool with God’s people and disobeyed God. The meekest man who ever lived failed because of his lack of meekness. Think about Solomon. He was the wisest ruler who ever lived, yet he had seven hundred wives who turned his heart from God. We have a strong man who is weak, a meek man without self-control, and a wise man who acts foolishly. What is going on?
The fact is that the more you acknowledge your weakness, the more you can rest in Christ’s strength. The apostle Paul was a man who could have boasted. He had seen things no one else had seen, heard things that no one else had heard, and been used by God in a wonderful way, but God had allowed difficulties in his life in order to keep him dependent upon Christ. He says, “And lest I should be exalted above measure… there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me.” Paul says, “God wanted to keep me close to Him and humble in my heart.”
Though Paul asked God to remove this problem in his life, God did not remove it. God told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” Paul goes on to say, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me… for when I am weak, then am I strong.” He is saying that when he was weak and acknowledged it, it allowed him to rest in the unlimited power of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The more you acknowledge your weakness, the more you can rest in Christ’s strength. One of the most dangerous places to be is to be strong and know it, to be self-sufficient and believe it. Sometimes God gives us His greatest help when we most acknowledge our need of Him. Sometimes it is hard to acknowledge our need of Him when we think we are doing okay. God gives strength to the weak, grace to the undeserving, and all you need for today if you acknowledge you need it. He alone is sufficient.