Blessed Lameness: Finding Strength in Weakness
Reflections on Abide Above, December 29
“My grace is sufficient for thee; for My strength is made perfect in (your) weakness.”
—2 Corinthians 12:9
We live in a culture that glorifies self-confidence, independence, and personal achievement. The world tells us to believe in ourselves, rely on our own strength, and push through challenges with grit and determination. Yet, Scripture paints a radically different picture. In God’s economy, our greatest liability is self-confidence, and our greatest asset is confidence in Christ.
The Lesson of Lameness
The devotional insightfully points out that it often takes years for us to discover the misplaced confidence we put in ourselves. Time and again, the flesh proves unreliable, faltering under pressure and revealing its inability to produce lasting spiritual fruit.
Contrast this with the unshakable reliability of Jesus Christ. As the Apostle Paul reminds us, God's grace is sufficient, and His strength is made perfect in our weakness. This paradox—that power is perfected through weakness—invites us to embrace our insufficiency as the starting point for God’s sufficiency.
Death-Fellowship: The Source of True Fruitfulness
One of the most striking truths in this reflection is the comparison between the mighty deeds of Galilee and the quiet power of Calvary. Jesus' miracles amazed the crowds, but His death accomplished the greatest work of all: the redemption of humanity.
Similarly, in our own lives, the most enduring fruit comes not from our efforts but from our willingness to die to self and participate in what the devotional calls death-fellowship with Jesus. This doesn’t mean physical death, but rather a daily surrender of our old, self-reliant ways to embrace the new life He offers.
As we are conformed to His death—laying down pride, self-sufficiency, and our insistence on control—God produces fruit that multiplies effortlessly. It’s a life of abiding in Him, trusting His strength rather than striving in our own.
The Cross: Gateway to Resurrection Power
“There is no escape from the Cross, if believers would know the ‘power of His resurrection.’”
This statement hits hard. Often, we want the joy of resurrection without the pain of the Cross. We long for fruitfulness without surrender. Yet, the journey to resurrection power always passes through the Cross. The defiant, self-protective “I” within us must be held in the place of death so that the life of Christ can shine through.
In Philippians 3:10, Paul expresses this longing beautifully: “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” Paul understood that intimacy with Christ and true spiritual vitality come through surrender, not striving.
The Promise of Living Water
Isaiah 35:6 offers a vivid picture of what happens when we embrace this life of surrender:
“Then shall the lame man leap as an hart... for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.”
When we acknowledge our spiritual lameness—our inability to walk in our own strength—God brings streams of living water into the dry wilderness of our lives. This is not a call to despair in our weakness but to rejoice in the power of God working through it.
Reflect & Respond
Take some time to meditate on these questions:
Are there areas in your life where you’re still relying on your own strength rather than trusting God’s sufficiency?
How might God be inviting you into deeper death-fellowship with Him?
What would it look like to surrender your self-confidence and embrace Christ-confidence today?
Pray This
“Lord, I confess my tendency to rely on myself, to trust in my own strength and plans. Thank You for reminding me that Your grace is sufficient and Your strength is perfected in my weakness. Thank You for teaching me to embrace the Cross daily, laying down my self-reliance so that Your life may flow through me. I trust You to bring streams of living water into the wilderness of my heart and produce fruit that glorifies You. Thank You for being faithful even when I falter. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
A Final Thought
The world tells us to hide our weaknesses, but God invites us to bring them into His light. It’s in acknowledging our need for Him that we experience the fullness of His grace and the power of His resurrection.
As the devotional beautifully states:
“In the measure that one dies to the old, in the same measure does one experience life in the New.”
Let’s walk today in the freedom of Christ-confidence, trusting that His grace is sufficient for every need.