2 Corinthians 12:9-11 New International Version (NIV)
9 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 weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
I have been struggling throughout lockdown with a terrible pain in my right shoulder, the pain has got worse and worse and is now so bad that I can’t sleep, dress, lift things etc etc. Each day life seems to become smaller and smaller as what I can do becomes more and more restricted. Living with this pain is not only effected what I could and couldn’t do but how I felt l as my mood, patience, and temper were making me difficult to be around.
Then I was reminded of the scripture above from Pauls letter to the Corinthians and I took comfort from it. Paul is referring to chronic and deliberating physical problems which sometimes kept him from working. Yet this pain kept him humble and constantly reminded him to draw close to God and demonstrate His power despite physical limitations.
I realised how proud I had been by suffering and not asking for prayer. So I decided to ask for prayer in our Sunday gathering on Facebook – something that I wasn’t comfortable doing. Half an hour later Karen appeared at my door with medication and advice – she had been a nurse for twenty years working with a shoulder specialist. Thanks to karen I am already seeing a great improvement in my mobility and the pain is certainly not as it was on Saturday when it was at its all time worst and was reducing me to tears.
We don’t often like revealing our weakness, I have been criticised for wearing my heart on my sleeve and being open about my personal weakness and downfalls. But Paul tells us that through his weakness he has been able to testify to Gods power. Our weakness allows us to draw closer to Him, to depend on Him and live out our lives in His power not our own. Being honest about our weakness and how we ask God for healing then reveals Gods healing and transformation in our lives as a living testimony. We all make mistakes, we all mess up, but through Gods strength we can change, we can put things right and it is these stories which encourage others.
I have been battling away in pain and not asked for prayer – then within half an hour of revealing my weakness to my church and asking for prayer God sends Karen. So I boast in my pain and share this testimony of how God heard our prayers and sent Karen with her wisdom, experience and knowledge to help me – so thank you for your prayers and thank you Karen for hearing Gods call.
Bless you all and be blessed this week
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