{Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, 'My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.' So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, that I am strong.}
As I start this week's study I am struck with how much there is here! So many different ideas to ponder, and so many thoughts that are swimming around in my head ....what are my weaknesses? what is the power of Christ ...is it His Spirit, or His grace ..or both? Do I rejoice only in the insults, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer FOR Christ..or all of them?
Overall, I feel a general sense of wellness and peace when I realize, I dont have to be perfect for God to work in me. In fact, the less perfect I am the better God can work in me!
One way of looking at the overarching idea of this verse is from the perspective of a nurse who cares for patients on a ventilator ...
My patients often require the assistance of ventilator, a breathing machine. It does the work that the body is not able to do. It steps in where a patient is weak (define: lacking in strength). It is a strong machine, able to do the work the body is supposed to do for itself. A ventilator can keep a person who has NO brain function alive for an extended/indefinite amount of time. It does the work of the lungs, providing oxygen to the entire body, often being the only reason a person is able to survive.
Its effectiveness, though is dependent on the allowance of the patient to let it work. Truly, the weaker the patient is, the less able to resist they are, the more effective the vent is. Patients who constantly fight the work of the vent find themselves in a miserable experience and when the two forces (person and the vent) oppose each other the effectiveness is greatly diminished.
In order for the power of the vent to be realized, the patient has to (voluntarily or not) totally submit to the work the machine has to do. They have to submit, or we have to help them submit through use of sedation ...becuase unless they stop fighting, they will not breath effectively.
I see the correlation between the work that God does in us, and the work that a ventilator does to keep a person alive. It is powerful work! ..without it, we would die. With it, we can live indefinitely. The more resist, the less power is used to that end. The weaker we are, the greater the work and effectiveness of this Life line.
I pray that God speaks to you through this scripture this week ...when He does I would love for you to share. You can share here, on the LPLS Facebook page, or the Women of Grace, Hope, Peace and Faith Facebook group. I hope you will!
Love the ventilator analogy. I think that is the beauty of our weaknesses. The times I am weak, I am more likely to step aside and say, "Take it, God! I can't handle this one!" It's when I think I am strong that I try to do it on my own power.
ReplyDelete--Kim