September 19th Devotion

The Advantage of Weakness
Alistair Begg

We are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you. 2 Chronicles 20:12

It doesn’t take much for us to see our inadequacies—especially in living for and serving God. When life’s circumstances press in on us, we become painfully aware of the challenge set before us and can quickly sense ourselves recoiling from it. We grow weary of people telling us what we can do when we know that we can’t; but at the same time we are unwilling to face up to our weakness in a world that calls us to be strong and confident. If you find yourself in that predicament, take courage. You’re not alone.

King Jehoshaphat of Judah was a phenomenon who implemented changes that helped God’s people rediscover God’s law (2 Chronicles 19). He reminded them of the importance of understanding and obeying God’s word so that they could serve God faithfully, wholeheartedly, and courageously.

Nevertheless, Jehoshaphat was not immune to fear. When Judah’s enemies threatened his nation, he was acutely aware of their superiority and of the inadequacy of his own people. Yet he also knew that the proper response to inadequacy was to depend entirely upon God. As he confronted the reality of his powerlessness and uncertainty, he kept his gaze firmly fixed above, praying, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

When the enemy whispers to us that we are a disaster or completely useless, we can set his lies against the truth of God’s word and say, “I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). When we feel that we are powerless in our battle against temptation, we can rest on the truth of God’s word and say to ourselves, “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). When we wonder if we have been left alone, we can be assured that “he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5).

When we admit our weakness, our mighty Savior will use it for our good and His glory.
When we do not know what to do, we can keep our eyes on Him and ask Him to guide us
and deliver us, just as He did Jehoshaphat and the whole of Judah (2 Chronicles 20:14-17, 22-25).

As with the men and women who served the Lord throughout the Bible, God still chooses to use unlikely, timid, and hesitant people. What set those individuals apart was not their strength or ability or self-confidence but that they were not consumed by their weaknesses; instead, they embraced them and relied on God’s power to overcome.

Will you do the same?