Celebrating Spiritual Weakness

Pastor Jim Bachmann, Senior Pastor



Some years ago, while driving in south Nashville, I noticed a sign on the front lawn of a church. It read, “Today I remember how powerful I am.”
 
Once upon a time I might have believed that—when I was young and thought I was hot stuff and bullet-proof. But with age comes some wisdom, and eventually we learn how weak we are. “Mortal ills prevail” against us as Luther said. We can’t cure our cancer. We can’t fix that broken relationship. We can’t make our kids turn out the way we want. We can’t move any mountains.
 
In Revelation 3 the church in Philadelphia is described as having “little power.” Maybe their membership was declining, or their budget suffering, or their roof leaking. Yet they had kept God’s word and not denied His name. 
 
As a general rule we don’t like weakness in any form. But the Bible celebrates spiritual weakness: a recognition of our spiritual poverty and dependence on God for all things. “Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling.”   
 
I don’t feel any personal power when I step into the pulpit Sunday morning. Apparently Paul didn’t feel any personal power either. He said to the Corinthians, “I came to you in weakness, fear, and much trembling.” Imagine that: the great apostle, apologist, evangelist, missionary, and theologian described himself as weak and fearful, even to the point of trembling! 
 
Charles Spurgeon was but a boy preacher, 20 years old, without formal training, who held huge congregations spellbound with his sermons. He became the most famous preacher in the world. His printed sermons were mailed all over the world by the thousands every week. His congregation was the largest in England. But the biographer says that deep down inside he was fearful and insecure. On some occasions he was too frightened to enter his own pulpit! “In his regular Sunday work he spent some time before the beginning of the services, alone with God, feeling the awesome responsibility of preaching the gospel to lost mankind and pouring out his soul in prayer. On some occasions he seemed unable to go out and stand before the people, and the deacons found it necessary almost to lift him from his knees as the moment for commencing the service drew near.” [Dallimore, p. 76]
 
The truth is we are all weak, fearful, and insecure, especially when it comes to speaking for Jesus. But if we will just be the church, keep His word, and not deny His name, as was true of the church in Philadelphia, we will find that God does have power! Let’s resolve to offer ourselves to Him, no matter our weakness and fear, day after day, “steady as she goes,” by reading our Bibles, saying our prayers, offering our worship, and serving His people. It doesn’t take much courage to take a meal to a new mother, or clean up ice-storm damage, or volunteer in the nursery. Someone once said, “If you want to change the world, start by changing a diaper!” What seems insignificant now may be greatly blessed by God who does exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or think!