"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9
After finishing my devotion tonight, I scanned my Bible for highlighted verses. Every now and again I like to re-read highlighted verses to test my memory-which sucks-and to etch them into my heart, my mind, and my soul. 2 Corinthians 12: 9 caught my eye tonight...umm, well this morning seeing as how it's 3:41 am. I've read and heard this scripture a hundred times. I thought I understood it. I mean, it's pretty straight forward, right? God's grace is enough and when we're weak He's strong. Yeah...well, that barely scratches the surface. Stay with me...
Me being a sucker for words, I pulled out my old, red, faded, smells like a library friend, Merriam Webster and looked up the definitions of the key words of the verse. Here's your English lesson for the week. Definitions according to Merriam:
Grace: unmerited divine assistance given man for his regeneration or sanctification.
Sufficient: enough to meet the needs of a situation or a proposed end.
Power: ability to act or produce an effect; possession of control, authority, or influence over others; physical might; mental or moral efficacy.
Perfect: being entirely without fault or defect; satisfying all requirements.
Weakness: the quality or state of being weak. Weak: lacking strength; not able to resist external force or withstand attack.
These are common words. But words are much more dynamic when we move past simple context and disect their true meanings. The other day my daughter asked me what inevitable means. I know how to use the word in context, but I fumbled to tell her the actual meaning of the word. I'm sure I confused the poor girl. The incident reminded me that words are more meaningful when we truely understand their meanings...understand what I mean? These five words alone pack punches. But when I connected the meanings of each word, this verse came alive to me in a whole other light.
When we don't have the strength to withstand the enemy's attacks, with grace, God provides supernatural help that's more than enough to meet our needs. When we are weak, without strength, tired, unable to resist temptation, or any other dagger Satan throws our way, and we rely on God, His magnificent power has the opportunity to activate and take control over us and whatever attack we face. When we have no strength left of our own, God's power takes over. Whew. That's a load.
The world we live in tells us weakness is a bad thing. But in God's universe, the spiritiual world where our hearts and souls dwell, it's in weakness that we're overtaken by a power like no other. The power that called the earth into exisitence. The power that heals. The power that strengthens. The power that conquered death. The power that cleanses. Oh, the power of my God!
My prayer is that in those many, many moments when I feel I'm at my weakest point, I call on and rely upon the sufficient grace and perfect power of my God to overtake and empower me. May I never become so absorbed and entangled in my own strength that I block God from exerting His power in my life.
