Obeying Into Weakness

Yesterday we were listening to a sermon by Bill Johnson where he was speaking about radical obedience and the effect it can have on our lives, and how the Lord responds. This morning, the verses I am reading are related as they are talking about obedienceand God's ability in the midst of our lack or weakness.

2 Corinthians 12:6-10 NIV:
[6] "Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, [7] or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. [8] Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. [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."

This is another set of verses that most us would prefer were not in the Bible, if we were honest. Talking about one's weakness, one's embracing weakness, insults, hardships, difficulties and persecutions is not something we like to do. In fact our natural inclination is the opposite. We would rather boast about our awesome experiences in God and inspire people forward with stories of God's awesomeness, with our miraculous redemption from a former way of life, into the abundant blessings of God - none of which is bad. Paul, however, has recognized that there is a different level, an understanding of the nature of the God, and the limitations in our humanness that really only comes from the place of weakness or extreme need.

Again, just as a note - this kind of talk might not be welcome in the prosperity gospel crowd, or the word of faith crowd, as they often see weakness, difficulties, troubles and hardships as either the attack of the enemy or a sure sign that you are walking outside the will of God. The truth is that sometimes the Lord will use difficult times to teach us about His great love, mercy, compassion and provision. That is what Paul speaks of here, and what Bill Johnson was discussing as well. Bill was describing how sometimes the Lord calls us into place where our obedience leads us into uncomfortable places of need. It is important to note that he was speaking about obedience to a Word from God, not just poor judgement on our part.

The example that Bill used to describe this whole area came from 1 Kings 17, where Elijah was fed by a widow who had to give up her last bit of flour and oil, to receive a miraculous supply of flour and oil for the next year, for the jars never ran dry. My guess is that the jars didn't fill up either, they just always looked like they had just one meal left in them. Another great example of this is when the Lord asks the apostles to feed the crowds, and they ask a boy with some loaves and fish to give them up, which obviously was his own lunch, or dinner. In both of these examples the Lord invited the people to willingly step into hunger, into real need, prior to releasing His blessing. It is one thing to give out of the overflow or over abundance of our stuff, it is a completely different experience to give in such a way that we must now depend on the blessing of the Lord just to eat. As Paul recounts this, he provides the answer to his many questions with the statement the Lord gave them. The Lord said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. ”

For Paul, ultimately his obedience led to his being sent in chains to Rome, but in all that the Lord worked through him in power and authority. In Bill's case, the Lord gave him a word that He was going to provide Bill a new home, much larger than his present home, in response to that, and some additional guidance from the Lord, he and his wife gave away their old house, and ended up living in a smaller condo for three years before the Lord opened the way for them to move into the house that has been prophesied. The fruit of radical obedience is often a period of testing and trial and difficulty where they are tested in their belief in the Lord. From the outside, well meaning brothers and sisters will say or think that the ones living out the radical obedience are crazy for doing what they did. Paul was a continually warned that his obedience would lead to him being bound and led where he didn't want to go, yet he persisted, because He had a word from the Lord. It is as if in every city Paul's dedication to following the express word of the Lord was tested. For the widow, it was every morning as she poured out the last bit of oil and flour, for Bill the testing was in being grateful for less than what he had, but still believing in the promised house.

On the other side, there will be those who out of religious fervor try to press the Lord into things He didn't say, by taking radical steps or actions. This is not an area to be taken lightly, or steps to take on just a single thought from the Lord, or single verse received in prayer. These are things the Lord draws us into, and often times warns us about ahead of time of the cost, things that even very mature believers will be challenged by. The Lord loves the one who is running after Him with fervor and passion, and I do not want to dissuade that in anyone, but rather am trying to provide some guidance. In my experience, if the Lord is calling someone to this place, He will make make it very clear, and will often times provide warning statements as He did to Paul (Acts 20:22-24). That being said, there is a definite biblical precedence for this type of experience in the Lord, so let us encourage one another, give grace to those who are pressing into the Lord, and not judge those who are in the time between the promise and fulfillment of the promise. It is in these places of weakness and need that power of Christ will rest upon us (2 Cor 12:9).