On Strength (and weakness)

 

2 Cor 12 : 9 

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness."

Prov 8 : 14 

"Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength. " 

It is amazing that the majority of places where strength is mentioned in the scriptures, it is ascribed to God; and the few places where some people tried to appropriate strength to themselves, they failed flat on their faces. 

A typical example was the case of king Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4:20 when he boasted of how he built Babylon by the might of his power, and before he was done talking, God showed him how low and weak he was; he became an animal and ate grass for seven years, till he came to realize that he was not really the actual owner of that strength he had. This clearly shows fallibility of humans in the area of strength; 1 Sam 2:9 said that by strength shall no man prevail and...all flesh is as grass that withers away (1 peter 1:24). So, when it comes to strength, humans are helpless weaklings. 

On the other hand, verse 14 of Prov 8 reveals God as the owner of strength; It read thus, "counsel is mine...I HAVE strength". The have in this phrase depicts a deeper dimension ownership as opposed to just a description of one of his attributes. It is trying to say that Strength belongs to God; he is the custodian of strength. He OWNS it as his property, and then distributes it accordingly to whoever he wills. the book of Job 12:16 puts it more into perspective when it said, 'with him is strength', no wonder he frowns at those who appropriates it as their own, seeing how weak a human being can be. 

Realizing how helpless you can be in the face of your weaknesses as a human, can be so disheartening; but the good thing is, this is where God's strength comes to play. Jesus speaking in 2 Cor 12: 9 said that HIS strength is made perfect in weakness. This is both a relieving statement and a refreshing thought because it takes off your shoulder, the burden of trying to be strong or get things right by your own effort. It means that when you let him in any area of your weakness, he shoulders the responsibility of supplying you with the strength you lack; in that way, you're no longer ashamed of owning up to them and facing them. In fact, you become rather excited knowing that God's strength helps you to become better at handling them; this is the realization Paul came to when said: 'most gladly, therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me' . So, yielding to Jesus allows you to operate in his strength to get maximum result in a task you may otherwise not have achieved by your own effort. 

So, what is that area of weakness you struggle with? Lateness, temper, inability to tame the mouth, procrastination, indiscipline, impatience, incapability, being bullied, can't get things done right, inferiority, body weakness, or just about any other thing you struggle with and hope to be better at; the answer is simple : casting your cares [weakness] on him; for he careth for you [provides you with strength] (1 Peter 5:7) Open up to God, let him in on your weakness and trust him to provide the strength you require for that area; and as you do so, you continue to go from strength to strength. Always remember : the Lord IS your Strength (Ps 28:8). 

God bless you!