My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9, KJV)
I got some new irons the other day. I traded out my steel shafts for graphite and the difference has been wonderful. I worked all summer trying to hit the steel shafted clubs but they were just too heavy for me to power through the swing. The only good thing is that all that work has made these new lighter shafted clubs easier to swing. I had to realize that I wasn’t as strong as I thought.
The greater the obstacle and the weaker we are, the more glory goes to God when the victory is secured.I often try to power through my life in my own strength. I do OK for a while, but inevitably I run into something that I cannot deal with. It’s a shame that I have to hit my head against the wall more than once to realize that I really can’t accomplish anything in my own strength.
This is part of God’s plan for us. He wants to be our strength because if we could make it on our own, we would try to do everything ourselves. We wouldn’t need him. Instead, he allows things into our life that remind us of our desperate dependence on him. I will never forget the moment when it dawned on me that I couldn’t control the next breath I took. I always thought I was in charge, but clearly I am not.
So if he is in charge, then his strength is sufficient to deal with whatever comes my way. It takes all the pressure off me. I have to acknowledge my need for him, and he gives me all the strength I will need to accomplish his purposes for me.
When we have an obstacle so big it seems impossible to overcome, we should see it just as described in today’s scripture. We are too weak to overcome it and we know it. So does everyone else! God’s power and grace is sufficient to overcome every obstacle. The greater the obstacle and the weaker we are, the more glory goes to God when the victory is secured. We have no room to boast of our own strength and every reason to declare the strength of the God we serve. We overcome and he is glorified.
—
Linda Ballard
September 8, 2016
Copyright 2016 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.