God’s Power in Weakness

When I’m watching sports, I love to see the underdog win. There have been lots of winning underdogs. For example, a horse named “Mine That Bird” came from behind to win the Kentucky Derby, against odds 50–1 against him. Also I know of an unranked college football team, the Appalachian State Mountaineers, that defeated the fifth ranked Michigan team. Spectators couldn’t believe the upset! Recalling the Lord’s concern for individuals who have disadvantages, weaknesses, or a thorn in the flesh, I suspect that if He is concerned about sports, He supports the underdog.

On one occasion the Lord said, “My power works best in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9­–10, New Living Translation [NLT]).

Disadvantages

Does God’s power really work best in weakness? He often chooses those who have weaknesses or disadvantages to accomplish great works. Although he had important strengths, Moses, a man “slow of speech and slow of tongue,” was sent to represent God to Pharoah, with a verbally gifted brother and a very useful staff to improve the odds.

God enabled a foreign widow named Ruth, who obtained food by gleaning after harvesters in the fields, to start a royal bloodline. Young, inexperienced David’s defeat of the giant Goliath has been used as a metaphor for unlikely competitor almost as much as “underdog.”

Elijah needed backup only from the Lord to win over more than 400 priests of Baal. And a Jewish orphan named Esther used her courage and faith to save an entire kingdom. The Savior Himself was “crucified in weakness” but “now lives by the power of God” (2 Corinthians 13:4, NLT).

Weakness

 One of my favorite examples of an underdog loved by the Lord is the experience of Gideon recounted in the Book of Judges. As the Israelites needed delivery from the Midianites, God sent an angel to tell Gideon he had been chosen to lead the Israelites against these oppressors. Gideon explained his weakness: “How can I deliver Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family” (Judges 6:15, New Revised Standard Version [NRSV]).

But the Lord didn’t consider Gideon’s weakness a problem. “I will be with you,” He promised (Judges 6:16, NRSV).

Gideon eventually amassed an army of 22,000 Israelites to attack the Midianites. But the Lord had a reason to increases the odds against him. We read,

The Lord said to Gideon, “The troops with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand. Israel would only take the credit away from me, saying, ‘My own hand has delivered me.’ Now therefore proclaim this in the hearing of the troops, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home.’” Thus Gideon sifted them out; twenty-two thousand returned, and ten thousand remained. (Judges 7:2–3, NRSV)

But the Lord told Gideon to further reduce his army to only 300. How could an army of 300 Israelites defeat the mighty Midianites? The Lord inspired Gideon with a successful plan—Gideon and his 300 defeated an army numbering more than 100,000.

Thorns in the Flesh

Sometimes the Lord gives us weaknesses that enable us to rejoice more in his strength. The Apostle Paul wrote, “To keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away” (2 Corinthians 12:7-8, NLT).

 We don’t know what this thorn in the flesh was. It could have been a temptation. Or it could have been a physical limitation, like a problem with his eyesight or another physical difficulty. The “thorn” (or weakness) might have been an emotional problem. Whatever it was, it was painful to Paul. He probably felt he could do more to build God’s kingdom if it could be healed.

Perhaps you’ve begged the Lord three times or even more to take away what you consider a thorn in your flesh—physical, mental, social, emotional, or spiritual. The Lord didn’t remove Paul’s thorn, despite his pleading. “Each time [the Lord] said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness’” (2 Corinthians 12:9, NLT). This message may apply to you as well.

The Lord loves and watches over those who seem to have low odds. Sometimes you and I will feel that we have disadvantages, weaknesses, or thorns in our flesh. But maybe the Lord is going to use our weaknesses to show forth His power. As He told Gideon, the Lord promises each of us, “I will be with you.”