God Is Your Refuge And Strength
In his wiiting to the church in Corinth, Paul compelled them that God is your refuge and strength.
“… I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. 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.” Terefore 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.“
2 Cornithians 12:5-10 NIV
God Is Your Refuge and Strength
The word refuge comes from the Hebrew word that implies shelter. In today’s English, shelter is frequently applied to structures giving security from things like the weather, cataclysmic natural events, or assaults from an enemy. God has provided shelter for the children of Israel on numerous occasions, and in doing as such He exhibited that He was the foundation of their shelter.
The expression “a very present help in trouble” could also mean that God is dependable, reliable, trustworthy, steadfast, one to whom we can count on. “…For the Lord thy God…will not fail thee, not forsake thee” (Deuteronomy 31:6). “…For he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5).
How can someone be strong if that person is weak? Is it something like working out in a gym where one would go to lift weights? In a way, it sounds like it. But no, that’s not at all what Paul was teaching.
Why Does “When I Am Weak He Is Strong” Matter?
So, what does today’s story have to do with weakness and strength? What does “when I am weak, he is strong” mean? As with physical training, spiritual training is similar. New Christians have to train to understand their limitations, what they can and cannot do on their own.
It takes time in practicing, studying, praying, and feasting on the Word of God. As the new Christian, with any Christian for that matter, stays in God’s Word, he or she becomes stronger in their faith. The work of Christ becomes more evident.
When we show that on our own, we cannot accomplish as much as we think we can, and we show that it takes fully relying on God, our weakness is overshadowed by the Lord’s strength. In Christ alone am I strong, not on anything that I do, but in Him, and He in me. That is where true strength comes from.
[Portions of this article are included with permission from author, teacher, and pastor Chris Swanson]
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