Working Through Weakness: How Christ's Strength Sustained Me
A few months ago, I found myself in a situation that pushed me beyond my limits. After a two-week vacation, I returned home only to fall ill with COVID-19. Though I recovered and was no longer contagious, I was left utterly exhausted—physically weak and mentally drained. Yet, due to the already overwhelming schedule at work, I couldn’t take additional time off. Clients needed care, and rescheduling appointments would only cause more strain on everyone. The thought of facing a full day of clients felt impossible.
That morning, as I lay in bed, weighed down by exhaustion, I prayed a simple but desperate prayer: “Jesus, I have to go in, but I cannot. Can you go in for me?” In that moment, I offered my body, mind, and emotions to Him, asking Him to work through me. It wasn’t a prayer for strength to rise up and do it myself—it was a prayer of surrender, trusting Him to do it in and through me.
Step by Step: The Grace to Move
The first act of trust was small but significant: I lifted the blanket off myself and sat up. As I took that initial step, I sensed God’s grace meeting me. Each subsequent action—walking to the bathroom, shaving, showering, dressing—was done in His strength, not mine. I didn’t leap out of bed with renewed energy; instead, I consciously moved one step at a time, trusting Him for every moment.
As I arrived at work and began seeing clients, I was keenly aware of Christ’s presence. Each word I spoke, each action I took, felt like an expression of His life working through me. I didn’t feel superhuman; in fact, I still felt exceptionally weak in body. But I also felt an unexplainable peace, as though my spirit was resting even while my body was active.
God’s Strength Revealed Through Others
To me, it seemed like a normal workday. But after finishing with my morning clients, my office manager approached me with a comment that caught me off guard. “Doc,” she said, “I’ve never seen you work so efficiently and stay on schedule like this!” Her observation stopped me in my tracks. I hadn’t been aware of anything remarkable about my day, but her words revealed something significant: this wasn’t me. It was Christ living and working through me.
I told her about my prayer that morning and said, “It’s Jesus working through me.” She smiled and replied, “Well, keep Him doing it!”
Her words reminded me of a powerful truth: God often uses others to reveal His work in us. What I experienced as a quiet reliance on Christ was visible to those around me as something extraordinary. This wasn’t just a moment of physical endurance—it was a testimony of His strength being made perfect in my weakness.
Finding Richness in Weakness
As the week went on, I continued to lean on Christ moment by moment. The intimacy I experienced with Him during that time was unlike anything I had known before. Each task became an opportunity to rely on Him, and I found myself resting in His presence even while working. It was as though my body was healing and recovering just as it would have in bed, yet I was fully engaged with my clients and responsibilities.
The true gift of that week wasn’t just that I made it through my workdays—it was the deeper fellowship with Christ that came from utter dependence on Him. I even called my mentor during this time and asked him to pray that I would remain sick. Why? Because I feared losing that intimacy once I regained my strength.
In hindsight, I understand why Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Paul wasn’t glorifying hardship for its own sake but rejoicing in the intimacy and power of Christ that comes through surrender.
Choosing Dependence in Strength
Eventually, I recovered, and the acute sense of moment-by-moment dependence faded. But the experience left a lasting mark on my heart. Weakness had taught me what it truly means to trust Christ—not just for the big moments but for each step, each word, and each thought. Strength now gives me the opportunity to practice that trust intentionally, even when life feels manageable.
The truth is, we don’t need to wait for exhaustion or crisis to lean on Christ. The same intimacy and reliance are available to us every day if we choose to surrender. As Paul reminds us in Romans 12:1, “Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” Surrender isn’t just for moments of desperation; it’s the daily act of trusting Christ as our source of life.
An Invitation to Surrender
Whether you’re in a season of strength or weakness, the invitation remains the same: surrender to Christ as your functional source of life. He doesn’t just want to give you strength to get through the day—He wants to live His life through you, step by step.
Start small. Offer Him a challenging task, a difficult relationship, or even an ordinary part of your day. Trust Him to provide the wisdom, strength, and grace you need. As you do, you’ll discover the richness of walking in His strength and the joy of deeper fellowship with Him.
Christ’s invitation is simple: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Whether you’re physically weak, emotionally drained, or spiritually weary, His rest is available to you. Trust Him today, and let His strength be made perfect in your weakness.