Isaiah 40:28-30
King James Version (KJV)
“28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:”
Matthew 5:11-12
King James Version (KJV)
“Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”
One of my favorite “spiritual giants” has been saying over and over, when I’m feeling battle weary, to “look at the way they treated Jesus.” I immediately feel, though I do not admit, that he’s on target yet also feel like “that was JESUS. Surely it doesn’t apply in the same way to me.” The quote above from Matthew’s gospel has typically struck me the same way. “Yes, but I’m no prophet.”
Jesus didn’t choose giants, rich dudes, people who “had it all together.” He used people like me. You know the kind:
- I should have known better
- why didn’t I think of that
- Life is scary
- Wish I could get my act together
- Okay, you gave me this, now what do I do with it?
- You want me to do WHAT?
Maybe something there triggers with you. Maybe not, but I think I can safely say we all feel weak sometimes. Man, of late it’s been a profound thing with me. Thinking about it didn’t help. Praying didn’t bring the immediate “WOOHOO” I truly wanted. Crying, denying, and whining . . . nope. Lashing out at a friend who THANK YOU JESUS could take it? Nope, that didn’t help. Well, maybe. I’m certain he said an extra prayer. Not gonna ask him, but it might have been “Lord, I’m getting tired of her today.” lol Seriously, think about the Bible stories we know so well.
The Lord uses the weak. Those hero types? The amazing prophets? His worker bees . . . Peter, Thomas, Paul? His own Mother Mary? Simple country girl, a murderer, a bunch of sick people, fishermen, tax collectors . . . and they changed the world. They changed their own and their faithfulness has changed mine.
Where would I be without Jesus? Would I know Him if not for those “ordinary” faithful folks? How easy it could be for any of them to say “Love you Lord, but I’m so tired. I am not capable of doing this.” How about “You want me to do what? “ or perhaps “The seas are gonna part? Huh? You’re joking.” Think about it . . . when Jesus commanded, did they say:
- build an ark?
- walk all over the world telling folks to turn their hearts to you? I’m not good with words.
- They won’t like me if I do that . . .
- get in a boat with a bunch of wild animals? Huh?
- Touch that person? He’s got . . . you’re gonna heal him through my hands? ME???
So, I get inspired, then tired . . . and sometimes wonder why He’s not talking to me because I must not have heard Him . . . He surely didn’t just say I am to do that for Him? Most of us have a friend we can count on to tell us the truth. The one you ask “does this pair of jeans make my butt look too big?” We sort of hope they’ll say “no you look great” but we need the truth and are better for having heard it. Surely if our human friends can be truthful and lovingly help us even when the answer isn’t quite what we expected . . . the way not easy . . . Jesus loves us enough to die for us. We trust our human and earthly friends, we need to trust Him. He promises we will never be alone. He asks for our heart and assures us of His power and strength and we can count on His Word.
Wow, do I feel weak. Suddenly, it seems like an asset. I used to think I had it all together. Life didn’t truly begin until I let go of that lie and said yes to Him. I may falter some, even later on today, but right now I’m rejoicing in my weakness and thankful for His strength.
Prayer: Thank you Lord for my weakness. Thank you for breaking my heart so you could fill it with your love. Thank you for the honor of being your servant, your sheep. Lead me. I will follow. Amen.
Posted by Martha L Shaw 
