My Weak Link In His Strong Chain

The notion of strength through weakness is quite a paradox. In our culture the weak are not considered to be very strong. From the time we are children we are told to drink all of our milk so we will have "strong" bones. We learn very early that "weak" teams are usually on the losing end of competition. Weak finances don't move economies or companies forward. Weak bodies aren't the picture of health. Weaker animals become food for strong ones. Weak foundations don't make strong buildings. Weak political parties, or candidates rarely hold the incumbent seats in office.

Yet the biblical story repeatedly points to strength displayed in the weakest of people and places. Over and over we find ordinary people doing extraordinary things through the power of God. Weak widows, weak children, weak blind/lame individuals and powerless people are empowered by God through Jesus Christ to bring God glory. In Acts 7, a weak and woefully outnumbered apostle named Stephen stands up to the Jewish leadership and boldly declares the gospel to a crowd bent on tradition and ritual. Stephen is stoned to death for his strong stand for Christ, but Luke makes an interesting observation at the height of the faceoff:

But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

God's glory is revealed to and through a man dying at the hands of those who were considered to be among the most powerful in their culture. The weaker becomes stronger!

The Apostle Paul spoke of his "thorn in the flesh" and many scholars believe it may have been related to poor eyesight. Whatever it was we know that the Apostle had a physical condition that was a source of nagging pain for him. But like Stephen, Paul chose to let his weakness bring God glory. In 2 Corinthians 12 he writes:

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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

I don't know about you, but if I'm honest I have to admit that I rarely view my weaknesses, especially physical ones as an opportunity for God to display His power and become stronger. It's probably because of my limited vision. Instead of looking for God, we often look at ourselves and our immediate pain, problem, or trouble. Paul and Stephen, were fully aware of their weaknesses, or position, but instead they chose to focus on the glory of God! May God help us to have the vision and perspective of Stephen and Paul.