When we interviewed nurse and Hancock County native Kaitlin Smith for our April 4 edition about her work at medical clinics in Uganda, we asked, “What has been a spiritual lesson for you since you’ve been there?” This column is her reply.
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
— 2 Corinthians 12:9
God is using this verse to remind me that it is not up to my strength, ability or achievements; it’s the power of Christ through me that will overcome any obstacle.
He is the source of all my strength. Remembering this posture takes the weight and pressure of trying to perform for God off my shoulders and allows me to rest in the unconditional love of the Father, knowing I am exactly where He wants me to be.
God does not desire performance. He desires faithfulness.
He won’t bring me this far to abandon me, and through my weakness His strength is glorified.
Paul wrote, “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).
At some point in our lives, we all face tasks that seem beyond our ability — a situation that seems impossible or unimaginable. When we find ourselves in these situations, we often feel helpless and overwhelmed.
I imagine how Noah must have felt when God asked him to build the ark and fill it with pairs of every kind of animal — trying to gather monkeys, bears, lions, giraffes, elephants, and so many other animals into one boat. It must have seemed absurd!
I am sure Noah questioned how he would get so many animals onto one boat. And how would he go about finding them and bringing them to the ark?
Instead of questions and doubt, we find unquestioning, unhesitating obedience. “And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him” (Genesis 7:5).
Noah obeyed because Noah had been walking with God, listening to God’s voice long before that day. That intimate walk gave Noah everything he needed to trust God with this crazy assignment and not lean on his own strength or ability.
In Genesis 6:20 we see that God had already assured Noah that two by two the animals would come to him. It was not about Noah’s ability to bring the animals; it was about God’s provision for faithfully doing what He had commanded.
When God entrusts us with a seemingly impossible task, it’s because He has found us worthy. And we can trust Him to do what we can’t and provide what we lack.
In this process, the glory and strength of the Lord will be showcased for all to see.
