GRACE WHISPERS

The Lord’s Paradox – Weakness is Strength

 

Grace Whispers: The crushing of the soul through disappointments, rejections, pain, and sorrow will eventually bring about the soul’s best wine for the Lord’s purpose.

 

My new book, “My Return Home to Innocence,” (found on Amazon), Chapter 10 entitled, “My Search Continues.” The chapter begins by stating, “When the mask begins to fall off, we must find a way to keep up the facade, or do we?”

 

This week I would like to continue reflecting on Chapter 10 which talks about how I tried desperately to hold my life together as it was falling apart. And, how on my journey with my Lord, I often felt weak and vulnerable, which were my greatest fears. But, I discovered how the Lord used my weakness and vulnerabilities to become my greatest strengths.

 

How many of us hate feeling weak and vulnerable? It is natural to protect ourselves from danger, failure, fears, pain, loss, others who hurt us, and all circumstances where we feel powerless. The truth is, we all like being in control, right? But, were we created to be in control or is the Lord the one who is really in control? Think about it? We will do anything to feel or think we can manage our lives without the Lord. The flesh has taught us strategies and skills to help us manage life without the Lord. Think of all the self-help and Christian books. Some even teach us how to use the Bible to manage life without depending on or trusting the Lord to be our Source. Do you recall my blog from last week about Jesus being the Winemaker and the Refiner of our souls? We learned He uses circumstances in our lives to transform and conform the soul from its dependence on the flesh to depending on Him alone, as our Source for Life. As you recall, the flesh is man’s ways and strategies used to get his needs met without Christ. Today, let me share some wonderful things I have discovered (on my almost 40-year journey with my Lord) when I felt lost, weak, vulnerable, and hurting… THE LORD IS MY (whatever I needed Him to be during my moment of need).

 

Firstly, intimacy with the Lord is a beautiful relationship with the Lord. It is not grasped with the mind alone but is the revealing and unfolding of Christ within our hearts or our spirits as we walk through life’s challenges in dependence on Him. Let me explain. Over the years, I learned to memorize scriptures and quote scriptures. One time I quoted the scripture to the Lord as He was correcting me about something. His response was, “Tresca, the humble I will teach my ways.” After that rebuke from the Lord, I learned He is not interested in how much I know, but how willing I am to allow Him to be… THE LORD IS MY; the totality of who I AM within me. And, that is what He is after in all of our lives. We are created to be totally dependent on Him. And, apart from Him, we can do nothing and everything there appears to be something, in the reality of living in His Kingdom, is nothing, unless it originated IN Christ, living His LIFE in and expressing His LIFE through us.

 

In the Old Testament, our Lord describes David as, “A Man after God’s Own Heart.” David discovered THE LORD IS MY, in his own life. It was through times of failure, rejection, weakness, and vulnerability, David discovered this DIVINE INTIMACY with his Lord. There are 143 verses in the Psalms where David shared how he discovered THE LORD IS MY in his life. Let’s look at a few from the Amplified version of the Bible.

 

Psalm 18:2 – The Lord IS MY rock, MY fortress, and the one who rescues me;
MY God, MY rock and strength in whom I trust and take refuge;
MY shield, and the horn of MY salvation, MY high tower—MY stronghold.

 

Psalm 23:1 – The Lord IS MY shepherd, I shall not want for anything (He is all I need).

 

Psalm 27:1 -The Lord IS MY light and MY salvation—Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the refuge and fortress of MY life—Whom shall I dread?

 

Psalm 28:7 – The Lord IS MY strength and MY [impenetrable] shield;

 

Psalm 34:18 – The Lord IS near to the heartbroken and He saves those who are crushed in spirit (contrite in heart, truly sorry for their sin).

 

Psalm 94:22 – But the Lord IS MY high tower and defense, and MY God the rock of MY refuge.

 

Psalm 103:8 – The Lord IS merciful and gracious slow to anger and abounding in compassion and loving-kindness.

 

Psalm 118:6 – The Lord IS on MY side; I will not fear. What can [mere] man do to me?

 

These scriptures reveal the wonders of the how the Lord Himself made Himself real to His beloved David amid family dissensions, sin, failures, an attack against his life, loss of his kingdom, disobedience to God, and the list goes on-and-on, but David discovered THE LORD IS MY.

 

Secondly, our brother Paul discovered who THE LORD IS during the challenges he faced when he was imprisoned, persecuted, stoned, sick, weak, and dealing with a physical weakness he prayed and asked the Lord to deliver him from.  In the Amplified version, Paul wrote:

 

 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 – Because of the surpassing greatness and extraordinary nature of the revelations [which I received from God], for this reason, to keep me from thinking of myself as important, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan, to torment and harass me—to keep me from exalting myself! ⁸ Concerning this I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might leave me; ⁹ but He has said to me,

 

“My grace is sufficient for you [My loving-kindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] WEAKNESS.”  Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me. ¹⁰ So I am well pleased with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, and with difficulties, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak [in human strength], then I am strong [truly able, truly powerful, truly drawing from God’s strength].

 

Over and over, the scriptures attest to our weakness and the Lord being our STRENGTH. The Lord calls us:

• Branches (tender and weak) on The Vine (Christ) John 15:5
• Sheep and Lambs who go astray easily, needing a Shepherd to guide and protect them (Christ) Isaiah 53:6
• Earthen (clay pots) containing a Treasure (Christ) 2 Corinthians 4:7
• Clay, created by a Potter (Our Father) Jeremiah 18:3, Romans 9:19-21
• Abba’s Children (Father, child relationship) Romans 8:15
• Our frame is fragile, we are but dust Psalm 103:14
• Like grass, we are here today but soon we will wither away I Peter 1:24

 

Our Father and Lord created us to live in weakness and vulnerability in order that the very Life and Power of God can live in and be expressed through us. The word of the Lord is to “Be strong IN THE LORD and in the POWER OF HIS MIGHT,” never on our own. I have learned to embrace my weakness. Like a little child, I am totally dependent on my Papa and Lord Jesus in ALL things. Over the years, I have discovered THE LORD IS MY and still learning!