Prayer: In our Weakness

For a few weeks we are featuring material from Teach Us to Pray  ©1995 by Discipleship Publications International and edited by Tom and Sheila Jones. This week’s post is excerpted and adapted from a chapter by my good friend and fellow teacher, Steve Brown. His comments were written one year after he had a sudden onset of paralysis on one side of his body.

After six weeks in the hospital, the doctors decided that my paralysis was due to multiple sclerosis (MS).  It was a shocking introduction to weakness, and the beginning of a struggle to understand what God was doing and what he wanted me to learn. I had become weak.  And I thought of Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 12: “For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

When Paul refers to weakness in 2 Corinthians 12, his definition is very broad.  He uses the same Greek word in a variety of ways in other contexts: physical sickness (Philippians 2:26), weakness of faith (Romans 14:1-2), and a weak conscience (1 Corinthians 8:11,12).  Here he seems to include physical difficulties, persecution, and even emotional struggles.  The meaning of his famous reference to the “thorn in the flesh” is disputed, but bottom line, it doesn't matter.  The nature or even the degree of the weakness is not the point.  His point is that if you are not aware of your weaknesses, then God cannot make you strong!

Recognizing my weakness was one thing. Dealing with it was another story.  A riot of different feelings accompanied my newfound weakness—none of which led me to boast about it!  Paul was able to look back and see the great impact for God his weakness had brought about. Now, 12 months later I, too, can look back and see some of the great things God has done through my illness.  One of my first caretakers was a physical therapist who subsequently became a disciple.  Our family, of necessity, became more responsible and disciplined because of new demands on them that my weakness brought about.  My weakness lets God shine!  The hard thing is to look forward and see that my present weakness—whatever it may be—will be used by God.

Prayer is simply the key that unlocks the door to God's free reign in our lives.  He reigns whether we like it or not, but he will not take away our will.  We have to surrender it.  If you read this chapter looking for the key to praying away your weaknesses, whether it be sickness or persecution or family troubles, then you will be disappointed.  Getting rid of the weakness is not the point (although there's nothing wrong with that—Paul prayed for it three times).  The key is to humbly submit yourself to God, depending on his power and relying on his strength, so he can use you as he sees fit.  Then we can all say with Paul, “When I am weak, then I am strong.”