God-Fidence

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.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

I love this verse so much that I have it hanging in my hallway. The thought occurred to me that even though the Apostle Paul says, he boasts gladly in his weakness, he isn’t saying focus on your weakness or talk about it all the time.

I don’t believe God wants us walking around prefacing everything with “I’m so weak” or “I’m so incompetent.” He doesn’t want us lowering our head and beating ourselves up about our weaknesses. This is just another way to draw attention to ourselves and keep us from ultimately pointing to Christ and giving Him glory. If we keep rehearsing our weakness and focusing on that we can’t effectively have our eyes on Him and serve Him with all our hearts.

God has given us gifts, and he entrusts opportunities to utilize our faith, but faith always looks to Christ. Our faith is exercised when we recognize the deficiencies and weakness and we step out joyfully with confidence in the midst of it, looking to Christ alone not looking down at our circumstance or ourselves.

God wants us holding our heads, hearts and hands high with confidence in Him. Not hanging our heads low with sackcloth and ashes, announcing our weaknesses and incompetencies all the time either to ourselves or to others.

I know my need and I’m willing to step out in faith where God leads me. When I do this I know God’s grace will sustain. The attention will point to Christ not on the weakness.

So when the Apostle Paul says boast in your weakness, we need to read what came before that. It wasn’t just boast in your weakness. The Apostle Paul wasn’t focusing on the weakness; he was like, Wow!!! Look at what God has done! His power is made perfect! God is getting glory! If my weakness is part of this equation, I’m all for it! Let’s do this Jesus!

I see the verse in a whole new light now. I see it as Paul was excited at what God was doing and he just said, yes Lord, I am all in! I will gladly boast in my weakness because you are being lifted up!

Step out in joyful “God-fidence” declaring Christ; not in and of ourselves but knowing that God is getting the glory! Isn’t this what loving the Lord your God with all your heart soul and mind means?

Hebrews 4:16

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.