Day35: God’s Power in Your Weakness

 God’s Power in Your Weakness

We are weak ... yet by God’s power we will

live with him to serve you.

2 Corinthians 13:4 (NIV) 

I am with you; that is all you need. My power

shows up best in weak people.

2 Corinthians 12:9a (LB)

God loves to use weak people.

Everyone has weaknesses. In fact, you have a bundle of flaws

and imperfections: physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual.

You may also have uncontrollable circumstances that weaken you,

such as financial or relational limitations. The more important

issue is what you do with these. Usually we deny our weaknesses,

defend them, excuse them, hide them, and resent them. This

prevents God from using them the way he desires.

God has a different perspective on your weaknesses. He says,

“My thoughts and my ways are higher than yours,” 1 so he often acts

in ways that are the exact opposite of what we expect. We think

that God only wants to use our strengths, but he also wants to

use our weaknesses for his glory.

The Bible says, “God purposely chose . . . what the world considers

weak in order to shame the powerful.” 2 Your weaknesses are not an

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accident. God deliberately allowed them in your life for the

purpose of demonstrating his power through you.

God has never been impressed with strength or self-sufficiency.

In fact, he is drawn to people who are weak and admit it. Jesus

regarded this recognition of our need as being “poor in spirit.” It’s

the number one attitude he blesses.3

The Bible is filled with examples of how God loves to use

imperfect, ordinary people to do extraordinary things in spite of

their weaknesses. If God only used perfect people, nothing would

ever get done, because none of us is flawless. That God uses

imperfect people is encouraging news for all of us.

A weakness, or “thorn” as Paul called it,4 is not a sin or a vice or

a character defect that you can change, such as overeating or

impatience. A weakness is any limitation that you inherited or

have no power to change. It may be a physical limitation, like a

handicap, a chronic illness, naturally low energy, or a disability. It

may be an emotional limitation, such as a trauma scar, a hurtful

memory, a personality quirk, or a hereditary disposition. Or it

may be a talent or intellectual limitation. We’re not all super

bright or talented. 

When you think of the limitation in your life, you may be

tempted to conclude, “God could never use me.” But God is

never limited by our limitations. In

fact, he enjoys putting his great

power into ordinary containers.

The Bible says, “We are like clay jars

in which this treasure is stored. The

real power comes from God and not

from us.” 5 Like common pottery,

we are fragile and flawed and break easily. But God will use us if

we allow him to work through our weaknesses. For that to

happen, we must follow the model of Paul.

Admit your weaknesses. Own up to your imperfections. Stop

pretending to have it all together, and be honest about yourself.

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If God only used perfect people,

nothing would ever get done.

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Instead of living in denial or making excuses, take the time to

identify your personal weaknesses. You might make a list of

them.

Two great confessions in the New Testament illustrate what we

need for healthy living. The first was Peter’s, who said to Jesus,

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 6 The second

confession was Paul’s, who said to an idolizing crowd, “We are

only human beings like you.” 7 If you want God to use you, you

must know who God is and know who you are. Many Christians,

especially leaders, forget the second truth: We’re only human! If it

takes a crisis to get you to admit this, God won’t hesitate to allow

it, because he loves you.

Be content with your weaknesses. Paul said, “I am glad to

boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work

through me. Since I know it is all for Christ’s good, I am quite

content with my weaknesses.” 8 At first this doesn’t make sense. We

want to be freed from our weaknesses, not be content with

them! But contentment is an expression of faith in the goodness

of God. It says, “God, I believe you love me and know what’s

best for me.”

Paul gives us several reasons to be content with our inborn

weaknesses. First, they cause us to depend on God. Referring to

his own weakness, which God refused to take away, Paul said, “I

am quite happy about ‘the thorn,’ . . . for when I am weak, then I am

strong—the less I have, the more I depend on him.” 9 Whenever you

feel weak, God is reminding you to depend on him.

Our weaknesses also prevent arrogance. They keep us humble.

Paul said, “So I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a

handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations.” 10 God

often attaches a major weakness to a major strength to keep our

egos in check. A limitation can act as a governor to keep us from

going too fast and running ahead of God. 

When Gideon recruited an army of 32,000 to fight the

Midianites, God whittled it down to just 300, making the odds

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450 to 1 as they went out to fight 135,000 enemy troops. It

appeared to be a recipe for disaster, but God did it so Israel

would know it was God’s power, not their own strength, that

saved them. 

Our weaknesses also encourage fellowship between believers.

While strength breeds an independent spirit (“I don’t need

anyone else”), our limitations show

how much we need each other.

When we weave the weak strands of

our lives together, a rope of great

strength is created. Vance Havner

quipped, “Christians, like

snowflakes, are frail, but when they

stick together they can stop traffic.” 

Most of all, our weaknesses increase our capacity for sympathy

and ministry. We are far more likely to be compassionate and

considerate of the weaknesses of others. God wants you to have a

Christlike ministry on earth. That means other people are going

to find healing in your wounds. Your greatest life messages and

your most effective ministry will come out of your deepest hurts.

The things you’re most embarrassed about, most ashamed of, and

most reluctant to share are the very tools God can use most

powerfully to heal others. 

The great missionary Hudson Taylor said, “All God’s giants

were weak people.” Moses’ weakness was his temper. It caused

him to murder an Egyptian, strike the rock he was supposed to

speak to, and break the tablets of the Ten Commandments. Yet

God transformed Moses into “the humblest man on earth.” 11

Gideon’s weakness was low self-esteem and deep insecurities,

but God transformed him into a “mighty man of valor.” 12

Abraham’s weakness was fear. Not once, but twice, he claimed his

wife was his sister to protect himself. But God transformed

Abraham into “the father of those who have faith.” 13 Impulsive,

weak-willed Peter became “a rock,” 14 the adulterer David became

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Your most effective ministry 

will come out of your 

deepest hurts.

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“a man after my own heart,” 15 and John, one of the arrogant

“Sons of Thunder,” became the “Apostle of Love.”

The list could go on and on. “It would take too long to recount

the stories of the faith of . . . Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David,

Samuel, and all the prophets. . . . their weakness was turned to

strength.” 16 God specializes in turning weaknesses into

strengths. He wants to take your greatest weakness and

transform it.

Honestly share your weaknesses. Ministry begins with

vulnerability. The more you let down your guard, take off your

mask, and share your struggles, the more God will be able to use

you in serving others. 

Paul modeled vulnerability in all his letters. He openly shared

• His failures: “When I want to do good, I don’t, and when I try

not to do wrong, I do it anyway.” 17

• His feelings: “I have told you all my feelings.” 18

• His frustrations: “We were crushed and completely over-

whelmed, and we thought we would never live through it.” 19

• His fears: “When I came to you, I was weak and fearful and

trembling.” 20

Of course, vulnerability is risky. It can be scary to lower your

defenses and open up your life to others. When you reveal your

failures, feelings, frustrations, and fears, you risk rejection. But the

benefits are worth the risk. Vulnerability is emotionally liberating.

Opening up relieves stress, defuses your fears, and is the first

step to freedom. 

We have already seen that God “gives grace to the

humble,” but many misunderstand humility.

Humility is not putting yourself down or denying your

strengths; rather, it is being honest about your

weaknesses. The more honest you are, the more of God’s grace

you get. You will also receive grace from others. Vulnerability is

an endearing quality; we are naturally drawn to humble people.

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Pretentiousness repels but authenticity attracts, and vulnerability

is the pathway to intimacy.

This is why God wants to use your weaknesses, not just your

strengths. If all people see are your strengths, they get

discouraged and think, “Well, good for her, but I’ll never be able

to do that.” But when they see God using you in spite of your

weaknesses, it encourages them to think, “Maybe God can use

me!” Our strengths create competition, but our

weaknesses create community.

At some point in your life you must decide

whether you want to impress people or influence

people. You can impress people from a distance,

but you must get close to influence them, and

when you do that, they will be able to see your

flaws. That’s okay. The most essential quality for

leadership is not perfection, but credibility. People must be able

to trust you, or they won’t follow you. How do you build

credibility? Not by pretending to be perfect, but by being honest. 

Glory in your weaknesses. Paul said, “I am going to boast only

about how weak I am and how great God is to use such weakness for

his glory.” 21 Instead of posing as self-confident and invincible, see

yourself as a trophy of grace. When Satan points out your

weaknesses, agree with him and fill your heart with praise for Jesus,

who “understands every weakness of ours,” 22 and for the Holy

Spirit, who “helps us in our weakness.” 23

Sometimes, however, God turns a strength into a weakness

in order to use us even more. Jacob was a manipulator who

spent his life scheming and then running from the

consequences. One night he wrestled with God and said, “I’m

not letting go until you bless me.” God said, “All right,” but

then he grabbed Jacob’s thigh and dislocated his hip. What is

the significance of that?

God touched Jacob’s strength (the thigh muscle is the

strongest in the body) and turned it into a weakness. From that

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DAY THIRTY-

FIVE:

GOD’S

POWER IN

YOUR

WEAKNESS

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day forward, Jacob walked with a limp so he could never run

away again. It forced him to lean on God whether he liked it or

not. If you want God to bless you and use you greatly, you must

be willing to walk with a limp the rest of your life, because God

uses weak people.

Day Thirty-five

Thinking about My Purpose

Point to Ponder: God works best when I admit my

weakness.

Verse to Remember: “My grace is sufficient for you, my

power is made perfect in weakness.” 

2 Corinthians 12:9a (NIV)

Question to Consider: Am I limiting God’s power in

my life by trying to hide my weaknesses? What do I

need to be honest about in order to help others?

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YOU WERE MADE 

FOR A MISSION

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, 

and he who wins souls is wise.

Proverbs 11:30 (NIV)

P U R P O S E  # 5

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