A couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to preach on a simple message that is so often overlooked: the message of hope, joy, and renewal we experience when we decide to commit to a life partnered with a mighty God. Sometimes when we preach on specific issues or current events, we neglect the most simple message of all... choose life.
If I can switch gears for a moment, I wanted to share a pet peeve of mine. Particularly in rural communities and in the American south, we find this mentality that "my flaws are what make me who I am". There are at least a hundred country songs that celebrate gaining scars and it's empowering to hear people say that their flaws ARE their strength. As empowering as that may be, it misses the mark a bit Biblically speaking.
In my sermon, I shared this from 1 Corinthians...
So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and in difficulties, for the sake of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10)
A lot of "motivational speaking" styled sermons seem to take this verse in a weird direction. They say this is showing that you can overcome whatever life throws at you; that you have it within you to be more than your weaknesses! While not entirely off-base, this misses the fact that we are strong in our weaknesses only through the blood of Jesus Christ. Because we have lives made anew through our relationship with a mighty and powerful God, we are made strong in our weaknesses because it is in those states of weakness that we find ourselves in the strongest position to see what God can do. A posture of brokenness is the strongest posture a Christian can ever take.
As individuals who actively seek God and are growing in our faiths, we often relegate talk of sin, imperfection, and weakness to the lost or new believers while forgetting that we are all broken. We all have baggage we carry and stories to tell. We all have ugliness in our pasts, or maybe even in our lives today, and in those moments it can be easy to hang your head in shame and mumble, "What could God want with a flawed and broken Christian like me?" The answer is glorious: he wants everything. In the midst of your dejection and your sorrow, you kneel at the feet of a God who gladly takes your yoke and puts it on his shoulders to carry.
I know it can be hard to rely on the invisible God for visible strength, but Christ works in mighty and mysterious ways. It is a test of our faith when we go through our trials and afflictions. As believers, we can take comfort knowing that in our weakness, we are indeed made strong. The message is just as true for the reject living out of a dumpster as it is for the well-groomed church attendee... Christ makes us strong where we can't find the strength in ourselves to lift a finger. Take hope; God is near.
DEVOTIONAL PRAYER
A Prayer for Strength in Times of Weakness
God, we all approach your cross broken... drained of energy, motivation, and hope. We know that you offer immeasurable hope and joy but it can sometimes seem so far away. Forgive us for being distracted by the storm. We ask that you, in your mercy, will surround us with your comfort and strength so that we may carry on with joy in our hearts, knowing the glory that we all serve and the magnificent kingdom that we are all marching towards. We are truly nothing without you and with you we can do all things that you have laid before us. We love and adore you, God, and pray that you would hear the yearnings of our hearts. In your son's holy name we pray, Amen.
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