Powerfully Weak

2 Corinthians 12:10

Throughout the Bible, both Old Testament and New Testament, we see God using weak, screwed up people for His glory and His kingdom.  Abraham was so cowardly that he pretended that his wife was his sister so he would not be killed; Abraham became the Father of the nations.  Moses was a stuttering murderer; Moses led God’s people out of bondage in Egypt.  David had a lustful, adulterous heart and indirectly committed murder; David was known as a man after God’s own heart.  Peter denied Christ not once, not twice, but three times on the night of Jesus’ trial; Peter boldly led countless numbers of people to Christ; Paul calls himself the chief of all sinners; Paul boldly led countless numbers of people to Christ and wrote much of the New Testament.  Yes, these people all had weaknesses:  they all sinned and screwed up countless times; that didn’t stop God from using them.  God’s grace and His power was so much bigger than their weaknesses.  

To me, the most important part of that verse in 2 Corinthians is the fact that it’s God’s power, not ours.  There had to be a point in our Biblical heroes’ lives where they handed it over to God.  Yes, Abraham was cowardly, but he eventually became faithful and obedient enough to the point where he was willing to sacrifice his son, Isaac, for God.  Sure, Moses had speech problems, but he chose to boldly stand up to Pharaoh on behalf of God and His people.  Despite of his lustful mistakes, David truly was overall a man after God’s own heart.  A few days after denying Christ three times, Peter did not hesitate to jump out of the boat and swim with all his might to see his Savior on the shore.  Paul tells us that his great hall of fame Jewish leader life meant nothing to him after he encountered and experienced the goodness of Christ.  While they were never perfect, it’s not like they continued to habitually sin and live their own lives while God was using them.  They repented and turned to God.

I’ve heard talks before about the difference between Judas and Peter.  Both betrayed Jesus on the same night:  Judas handed him over to the officials for some money while Peter denied knowing him three times to the public.  Yet after this night, their lives took two completely different endings.  Why?  One ran to Jesus while the other chose to remain self-reliant and not receive God’s grace.  After betraying Jesus, Judas went out by himself and killed himself.  Peter, as already mentioned, ran (or actually swam) to Christ after denying Him; Christ responded by restoring Peter to Him at breakfast.  

Why am I writing all of this?  The past few days, I had struggled with feeling inadequate to go on the World Race; I felt like way too much of a sinner.  God, in his goodness and mercy, responded by reminding me that He uses weak people; He uses sinners.  Am I good enough to go on the World Race and minister to people all around the world?  Of course not.  But God’s power is made perfect in my weakness.  If I am choosing to pursue Christ and run after Him like Peter did, I can be used for whatever purpose God has.