Learning to Depend on God’s Grace

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

Through his infirmities, God made Paul completely dependent on His grace and on His strength, but it was all for good. Paul’s continued – even forced – dependence upon God made him stronger than he ever would have been if his revelations had made him proud and self-sufficient.

Many of us think that real Christian maturity is when we come to a place where we are somewhat “independent” of God. The idea is that we have our act so together that we don’t need to rely on God so much day to day, moment to moment. This isn’t Christian maturity at all. God deliberately engineered debilitating circumstances into Paul’s life so he would be in constant, total dependence on God’s grace and God’s strength.

Many people harbor a longing for the day when the Christian life will become “easy.” We hope for a time when the major struggles with sin are behind us, and now we go on to bigger and better things without much of a struggle. That day is an illusion. If the Apostle Paul himself constantly experienced weakness, who are we to think that we will surpass him?

In fact, the illusion of strength and independence actually leaves someone in a weaker place.

G. Campbell Morgan observed, “There is nothing more hindering to the work of God than the uplifted and proud Christian.”

Alan Redpath described the person God can use: “God works through the man who has been wiped clean and turned inside out, his life emptied before the Lord until he is hopelessly weak, that no flesh might glory in His presence.”

Prompt: Take some time to evaluate your expectations of the Christian life: did you think it would be different? Commit your disappointments and weaknesses to the Lord today, and receive His strength.

Based on The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik.