In our weakness He is strong

Have you ever had those times when you find something you've been looking for for a while, and it ends up being in the most obvious place?  Or perhaps you've been trying to figure something out, and the answer turns out to be exceedingly simple?  I had one of those this morning.  I was reading in 2 Corinthians 12, and got to verses 6-10, and I simply can't believe that I haven't studied them before.  They're an absolute gold mine.

Of course I've heard them before, having grown up in the church - "in our weakness He is strong" is one of the flagship slogans of the church.  But I've never really thought about it, especially in my present circumstances - it's just something that you say, right?  Dead wrong. 

When I don't know where I will be living tomorrow night - He is strong.  When work is murder - He is strong.  When I walking is painful because my back has pinched nerves from stress - He is strong.  The point of this life is not to make towering accomplishments in our own strength.  It's to depend on God and to show the world just what He can just - things that would make our "towering accomplishments" look like twig huts in the mud.  When you think of it like that, it really puts all of our troubles into perspective, doesn't it?  They're a whole lot easier to bear when we know that God will make beautiful victories out of them - if we let Him.

2 Corinthians 12:6-10

Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, ⁷ or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹ But 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 

Something to shout about

Time doesn't stop.  Time doesn't slow down.  Don't you wish sometimes that it would?  Or, better yet, that it would go backwards?  How many mistakes have we made that we wish we could undo?  Have you ever wanted to freeze a moment that's simply so perfect that just the thought of it ending is painful?  Do you ever feel like life is spinning out of control, and you can't keep up with it?

That's how I feel right now.  I'm graduating from college in 25 days - when did THAT happen??  I'm looking for jobs, taking exit exams, trying to stay motivated in my classes.  I'll be going to live on the other side of the world in just a few short months.  In my mind, I'm still a little high school kid, with no bigger worries than what she's going to wear tomorrow.  It's scary and overwhelming being in the "real world".  But God is always there for me, encouraging me and lighting up my sky (see my post from yesterday).  Joshua 1:9 says, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."  It's exhausting being in the real world; but in my weakness, He is strong (2 Corinthians 12:9).  Isaiah 40:29-31 says that "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

God is so good.  When our world seems to be spinning out of control, we can take comfort in the fact that He's there with us.  He will give us strength, peace, comfort, and direction.  I don't know about you, but to me, that's something that I want to shout about :).