God's strength is made perfect in weakness

2 Corinthians 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

How many times have you heard or quoted the above verse?  If you are like me, your answer is “A LOT!” 

Why is it that we quote 2 Cor. 12:9 as a mantra though?  We repeat it as if to make ourselves believe it and convince ourselves that everything will be okay.  When, in reality, Jesus said it and the words are living and true right now whether we believe it or not. 

I have a very hard time understanding why people think it is wrong to show weakness.  It irritates me when someone pretends to be perfect.  Doesn’t it bother you?  Don’t lie, you know it does.  You sit and listen to someone brag on themselves and how great they are and you are silently wondering if they are lying or what is wrong with you that your life isn’t as great as theirs.  Right? 

But Jesus said that HIS strength is made perfect in weakness.  Whose weakness?  His?  NO!  He is a Strong Rock and a Fortress, there is no weakness in Him!  Our weakness. 

Look, I am just Sheri.  I was brought up in a humble home where my parents taught me, literally and by example, that I could trust God.

When I was around 3 or 4 years old, I had my very first taste of the provision of God.  My mama and I had walked my older sister to school.  Mama used to pull me in a red wagon down the side walks so my little legs wouldn’t be so tired.  I remember this day that she was praying for money for milk.  As she pulled me along, some money, I think it was a five dollar bill, flew into her path.  God had answered her prayer.  I am sure Mom was wondering what she was going to do and she felt weak and small in her prayers, but God showed Himself perfect and strong through it all.  Had Mom not been in need, she would not have prayed and I would not have seen and believed.  His strength was made perfect in Mom’s life, but also in my own. 

During the rest of my growing up years at home, I saw my Mom and Dad get on their knees and beg God for different things and different people.  Stephanie and I heard them call out the names of their family many, many times.  We have heard them pray for many of you as you have faced heartbreak, financial ruin, cancer, funerals, wayward children, surgeries and plain old hard times.  We saw them lean on God when their shoulders could not bear any more weight.  We have heard them cry, sigh and pray for the impossible.  Why?  Why did Mom and Dad constantly return to God for help when it appeared He was the One doing the hurting?  Because Mom and Dad believed in 2 Corinthians 12:9.  It was more than just a mantra to repeat without meaning.  They believed God would show His perfection in their weakness and they gladly rejoiced through prayer and believed in His promise.

Years later as a poor college student I found myself in need.  It was just for hairspray, but it was important to me to fix my hair and look nice.  I was working off my college bill and didn’t have a cent to my name.  I remembered Mama praying for that milk money, so I prayed for some hairspray money.  I told God it would only cost me a dollar, but I prayed for five.  I prayed all day long because I didn’t have hairspray to fix my hair the next morning.  The shopping bus was headed to the new Walmart plaza and I boarded it with all the other girls in faith that God was going to answer me.  I walked around the store and prayed for that five dollars.  Some girls were headed over to the Subway to eat a sandwich, so I walked with them over the big snow piles that had been scraped earlier in the Walmart parking lot.  I tucked my chin into my scarf against the bitter wind and I prayed.  Then, there, flitting across my path was a 5 dollar bill.  I chased it until I caught it and went in the store, bought my hairspray AND a sandwich from Subway.  God showed me His perfect strength. 

His Strength can not be anything but perfect, so it isn’t my weakness that lends to HELP God, but it is that I see His Strength perfected in my life because I realize I am nothing without Him.

Time and time again I have believed that God could and would change a situation.  Yet there have been times when I sat down and doubted and threw up my hands in despair too.  But guess what?  His strength was STILL perfected in my weakness.  And I still got to observe His perfect working! (and sometimes He had to hit me over the head with it) LOL

I taught my children these verses and shared my personal stories.  Katie took it too heart at 4 years old and prayed for a white van with blue seats and white Christmas lights.  She prayed and prayed for that van.  I don’t have to tell you that we spent the rest of our deputation days in a white van with blue seats and white Christmas lights.  God heard her, and His grace was sufficient once again in our lives.  His strength was shown perfect. 

Are you wondering where God is in your life right now?  Do you know someone who is in need and hurting?  Don’t try to manipulate things to make something happen.  Instead, just pray.  Trust God.  Watch His strength be made perfect in all our weakness.  He is so good, so perfect and so just, that His desires for our lives will happen and He will care for us while it does.  Even when we don’t understand. 

Until next time, Lord willing,

Sheri