When I am weak then I am strong!

Does this sound like nonsense? It is one of the Kingdom paradoxes, and the Scriptures tell us that the Wisdom of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. Of course if God does not exist, or if He does exist but has left us to struggle on our own, then the “perishing” are right. On the other hand, if those of us who have tasted of the heavenly gift are telling the truth when we testify of His deliverance from our addictions, then they are wrong. We do of course have a part to play, and it is an important part.

Let me use an analogy. It works like this, when in the perplexities of life we do not know what to do and we cry out to God for wisdom, then He gives it to us. He has promised to do this. “If any man lacks wisdom”, James tells us, “let him ask of God who gives liberally, and it shall be given to him” (James 1:5). We do need to believe His promise of course, and we do need to cultivate hearing his voice (see 'You hear from God ...' September 2010). But the point I am making, is that when we lack wisdom and acknowledge it, and ask God, then we receive it, and in doing this, we become wise. So when we lack wisdom we are wise because we stand in the wisdom of God. It is a wonderful promise, and I have used it over and over. There are a couple of things we need to do by the way, before we can receive the promises of God. We need to qualify for them. The qualification comes in the “if” clause of the promise “If anyone lacks wisdom ....”. The good news is that you and I qualify for this promise. In other words, we all lack wisdom betimes. But we have to admit it, or we won't ask.

It works the same way when we are weak. You see if we know we are weak and we cry out to God for His strength, then He gives is to us. The Lord tells Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9 “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness”. This is not always easy to receive. Its called denial, but it is the very necessary first step of any twelve step programme (We admitted we were powerless over ...... - that our lives had become unmanageable).

I have come to realize that sooner or later, we all need to come to the place where the happenstances of life bring us to the end of ourselves. What I mean is that sooner or later we find that in our own strength we are unable to live the life that we are called to live, meant to live, and in our more lucid moments want to live (see “the end of my goodness” July 2010). These points are crossroads. It may happen over and over. It may be at conversion, it may be the very thing that brings us to the Lord in the first place, or it may be miles down the road, or all of the above. Paul came to this with his “thorn in the flesh” (the context of the quotation from 2 Corinthians). We do not know exactly what this was, but we do know that it threw Paul back onto God.

With respect to wisdom, if I am a know it all, and nobody can tell me anything (even God), then all I have is (the bankruptcy of) my own wisdom. To say it another way, nobody knows everything, and we can learn a lot from others, especially from God, but we do need to come to the end of our wisdom. Similarly when I come to the end of myself and turn my life over to God in complete surrender, I am given God's strength to do what it is I cannot do for myself:- come off the booze, forsake my addictions, live in purity etc. etc. So when I am weak and ask God for His strength I become strong.

The world will try to shame us “Christianity is a crutch”. My response is “Well in my experience my relationship with the Lord feels more like a brand new pair of legs, and actually most people I see are limping through life”. We are meant to run on Him. Jesus did, He tells us “... the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do” (John 5:19). Paul tells us “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens us” (Philippians 4:13). What would keep us from this? Our pride perhaps, or the short term pleasures of the flesh (our sinful desires)?