God’s Power in Weakness

by Dottie Ryan

We are now more than half-way through our Fearless Study. And I wonder if we are able to say that we have stepped forward in faith? Even one step on the water?

We learned that we have been deliberately sent into the storm by a Sovereign God — who is a good God.  I’ll bet that most of us have witnessed “the wind and the waves” as they have tossed our boat back and forth — beating against our lives through our circumstances.  Feeling fear, and possibly abandonment, we have probably honestly had to ask, “Lord, Are You in the Storm?” And if we are real honest, we have come face-to-face with our inability to calm our own storms or even take that step of faith out on to the water, without our focus being totally on Him — on Jesus, the only One who can rescue — the only One who can “keep [us] from falling” (Jude 1:24, NIV). In that, I pray we have all been able to acknowledge and confess, “O Lord, I Am Weak.”  What a blessed triumphant victory if we have come to that place in our walk with the Lord these past four weeks because, it is all about Him — His Power is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor.12:9).

We need you, Lord.  We can not do this on our own.  We are weak. Necessarily so. Thus we “boast all the more gladly of [our] weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon [us]” (2 Cor. 12:9).

Did you get that?  Do we really get this?  His grace is sufficient for us.  His power (to transform lives including our own) is made manifest by us being weak — being insufficient — relying fully on Him for everything.  And here’s what really excites me about this. Since it is all about Him, as we boast about our inabilities He is glorified, and in our “letting everyone know just how weak we are without Him,” His power rests upon us.  Now, we can go about doing the business of the Father.

Do we dare?

I am praying that we will all come to that place of ‘knowing’ who we are — and who He is!  That we will step out a little further on the water this week, laying aside our reasons for not spending time with Him.  Being willing to be uncomfortable, to “lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely” (Heb. 12:1). . . realizing the storms will come and that they will be fierce at times. But also knowing that we are never alone.

Faith, not fear.  Focused on Him — “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Heb. 12:2). And resting in His ability. Not ours.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit…blessed are those who mourn… blessed are the meek…” (Matthew 5:3-5). Blessed are we who understand that we “have nothing to bring to the Lord but our sins and our human frailty” — for ours is the Kingdom of Heaven — for we shall be comforted — we shall inherit the earth.  All because of what God did for us through the finished work of Christ. So when we cry out to Him for mercy, confess and agree with Him concerning our sins, and repent, we know He hears our cry!  We know He does.  He’s our Father.  And He extends his scepter to us and tells us to boldly “draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16). And He has never let us down.  He never will.  He is faithful.  And He saves us to the uttermost.