Power and Grace in weakness

And He (God) said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness”. 2 Corinthians 12:9

As a child of God, we believe and hope that God answers our prayers.  Paul had an issue in his body and he prayed three times to God to remove that sickness. God did not give him deliverance, however, gave him an answer which is quoted above.

We may have a sin which always puts us down and makes us a slave to it. We must have tried many times to overcome but we are unable to do that on our own. In this case, with a broken and a truthful heart if we depend on God then there will be an intervention of our God in our inability and will definitely help us to overcome that sin. This power of grace chose us, separated us, saved us and helps us to sustain in our everyday Christian life.

In Ephesians 2:8 we read that by grace we have been saved through faith and not of yourselves. It’s a gift of God. If God can do the best thing to us by His grace, He can help us in every single situation in our daily life.

A great man of God by the name of Watchman Nee went through various trials including sickness in his life. He was persecuted by the Chinese government and was locked up in solitude in prison from 1952 to 1972 without proper investigation and eventually died in the prison under suspicious circumstances. In one of his letter, he was talking about a vision which God gave him.

A small boat was floating in a stream. Suddenly the boat got stuck in the middle of the stream on a big boulder and was unable to move forward. Watchman Nee asked God why did this happen and how can the boat move forward. He clearly understood that vision was related to his confinement in jail for a long time with bleeding wounds from sickness and torture. He was questioning God about his deliverance. On that night through the vision, God spoke to Watchman Nee which was a turning point in his life. God gave him two options as mentioned below:

• God can remove the boulder in a second; or
• God can increase the water which will rise above the boulder so that the boat can float.

Watchman Nee chose the second option. He said he wanted the overflow of God’s grace which can overcome the boulders in his life. God is looking for such a person who can boldly and firmly say that God’s grace is sufficient and His power is perfect in weakness. Because of this revelation, even though he was stuck in prison he wrote so many books which encourage the saints to face the persecution. My dear friend, which option will you choose? Paul had this revelation in his weakness and was able to withstand by the power of God’s grace, bringing glory to God.

The Christian life is not gloomy, it’s the life of joy and happiness through which God’s name is glorified.  My grandmother who was a great woman of God once told me about an article which came in the Times of India. A woman was admitted into a famous cancer hospital in Mumbai. She was so sick and had terminal cancer. She was kept on the second floor of the hospital and the whole floor became cheerful and positive because of her. Even though she was terminally ill and in pain, she made sure that she encourages others in need by Gods love. She had the grace of God in her weakness and by that power she was able to witness Jesus Christ.

That’s why Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4 “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body”. The jars of the clay are the small pottery lamps, cheap and fragile that could be bought in the shops of Corinth. They are fragile and valueless. But they become the most valuable because they are holding the treasure which is the power of Jesus Christ.

As an example in Judges 7, we see Gideon defeated Midianites. The lamps were in the empty jars, but when they were broken, the light came out and they won the battle. So to get the power, let us empty ourselves so that the light can dwell in us. When this light has revealed the power of darkness will back down. The more we are broken, the world can see the treasure inside of you.

God bless!

– Julie Tanish