You may have come across someone who faced extreme hardships and as a result, lost faith in God. You have also come across someone who endured similar circumstances but the trials actually strengthened the person’s faith in God.
What is the difference between these two lives?
- one person knows the source of his strength and the other does not.
- one is richer in his understanding of the ways of God and confident in God’s power. This person is willing to be weak and to rely upon God’s strength.
We must learn that it is in our weakest moments that God is free to do His greatest work in empowering and strengthening us. It is in these trying times that we can feel the greatest surge of God’s power in our lives.
Apostle Paul, who is revered as one of the most influential messengers of the Gospel, wrote this to the Church at Corinth, "Now when I came to you, brethren, I didn’t come with the superiority of speech or wisdom . . . I was with you in weakness, fear and trembling" (1 Corinthians 2:1,3). Later in his letter, he proclaims "Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:10). Paul learned a life-changing, burden-freeing truth through suffering and persevering: all the strength he needed was available to him through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus’ power is sufficient to overcome any trial, difficulty, or persecution we may endure.
If we are facing any insurmountable trial in our life, we must not be afraid to admit that we cannot handle it alone. Instead, confess our weaknesses to the Lord and draw from the deep well of His everlasting strength and love.
(0510) 03 III 2008