From Weak to Strong

Father, please. Two words. Sometimes the only prayer we can mutter when the weight of our circumstances pushes us to the floor in tears. God, help! Two words. Sometimes we feel as though we are drowning in an ocean of disappointment and despair. The verbose, eloquent public prayers that we pray in our churches are reduced to stammering, barely audible, broken gasps of petition when our need is greatest. When life knocks the wind out of our lungs, all we have is the breath of God to draw upon for survival. When facing a life-threatening illness, not all the words in the world can do more than “Lord, heal.” Two words.

The cry of our heart can be as simple as two words, three words, or maybe even no words. Maybe our souls can only groan what the Holy Spirit interprets for us. The crushing defeat that life can bring is a reminder that we need a Savior. Our hope is in Jesus Christ alone. Our humanity, no matter how grand in our own eyes, will fail. We do not have the ability to save ourselves. We need help, infinite help. As long as mortality exists for us, we will have moments of severe weakness.

The apostle Paul said it best in II Corinthians 12:10, “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.” Paul understood that Christ shines brightest when our flesh is broken down and burned up at the altar. All of our big words, fancy speeches, grandiose titles and mighty positions mean nothing when we can barely raise our voices above a whisper to say, “Lord, have mercy!” Our weakness is our greatest strength because that is when God can work best in our lives. After we have gotten out of the way with all of our brilliant yet unsuccessful solutions, God can step in with miracles.