He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me (2 Cor. 12:9).

Years ago, at my graduation from seminary, God revealed his grace in a way that initially frightened me. As I looked down the line of friends graduating into ministry, I had a shocking realization. Every one of my friends had been through a major life challenge while in seminary. I, too, had suffered deep heartache. 

In that moment, I thought to myself, “Someone has tried to stop us from ministering for Christ.”

I have continued to witness the opposition of Satan to my friends and to me in every life stage and every place of ministry. His relentless attacks have revealed our weaknesses time and again. 

But they have revealed something else: the strength of God in and beyond our weakness. Those that have humbly sought God’s aid, honor, and forgiveness have been powerfully used to accomplish what no one could have done in his own strength.

God has poured his goodness through our weaknesses to show that the surpassing greatness of his power is all of grace. Through Christ’s mercy rather than our merits, marriages have been healed, churches built, leaders restored, and souls saved for heaven forever. 

None of us can take credit for these spiritual transformations. All we can say is, “Praise God.” Our weaknesses have made his power evident to us, if to no one else. The grace we have received makes our confidence in the gospel all the more sure. Our weaknesses prove his strength. 

Prayer:
Lord, pour mercy through humility, making the power of your grace more evident by the confession of my weakness that you have overcome – and blessed!