The Pleasure of being weak

The Pleasure of being weak

From Edified
 
“The Lord reigns; Let the peoples tremble! He dwells between the cherubim; Let the earth be moved!”
Psalm 99:1
 
Praise be to you, Lord God, the holy One, our sovereign King. Praise you that I can give thanks in all things, knowing that you reign, allowing/bringing to us what is good. Thank you for last night’s interrupted sleep, the restless legs, the disturbing dreams, waking up often, being dried out and the resulting grogginess this morning. All this reminds me of my weakness, my inability to regulate even how well I sleep.
 
In reality, there is not much that I can control, just a tiny sphere of “power” where I can make decisions, but not fully determine their outcomes. I can choose to go to bed early, but what comes afterwards is not in my hands.
 
Praise you for showing me again my powerlessness—it reminds me that most of the points in the beatitudes in Matthew 5 are a description of weakness. Beginning with, “Blessed are those who are poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” Jesus went on to say, blessed are the meek (instead of those in control), those who hunger (instead of those with resources), those who are merciful (instead of those manipulating others in power), those who are peacemakers (instead of those being deal makers), those who are persecuted, insulted and lied about (rather than those trying to protect their honor).
 
To be weak is good, it is honorable because it brings honor to you, for you said, “My power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). Therefore to be weak is something to rejoice in, to delight in, to praise about (talk about supernatural thinking!).
 
It is a chance to give you glory, to live by faith, to be a channel of power, a spring of grace, a beacon of hope, a demonstration of goodness, a witness of the One true God to all those around us.
 
Praise be to You, Lord Jesus, for showing us the way in this, as you, in your human weakness, suffered emotionally when you could have decided to avoid it, suffered physically when you could have called on angels to deliver you, suffered spiritually when you could have come down from the cross and left us to what we deserved.
 
Instead, you chose to be weak, to let the attacks of men and devils reach you, flow over you, defeat you in the moment, so that you could triumph in the end. Because of your willingness to be weak you could fulfill the demands of justice.
 
You followed the unseen wisdom of God and brought redemption, salvation, glory for all who were to become your brothers and sisters, and honor for yourself, which you will also share with us. Power alone could not do it; power in weakness was the way. Praise be to you for showing this to us.
 
Prayer: “Lord, help me to walk joyfully in weakness today, rejoicing in your strength, your power, your mightiness, your holiness, your greatness, to acclaim you in all I do, to walk in the light of your presence. Glory be to you. Amen.”

Picture: Easter sunrise service, proclaiming our weakness and God’s Strength

May be an image of one or more people, people standing, tree, nature and sky