And He has said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly therefore I will rather boast in my weaknesses that the power of Christ might tabernacle over me.
— 2 Corinthians 12:9
Who finds the Lord is more precious: those who have no failure, or those who experience the Lord in their failure and weakness? Surely those who come to know their weakness and shortcomings can know the Lord in a deeper way. For this to happen, however, we must come to the Lord in our weakness.
When I was in the military, I used every spare moment to read the Bible. Then I prayed a bold prayer: “Lord, You cannot ask me to do better than this. Every minute, every break, and every opportunity I am reading Your Word. Every morning I am in Your presence. Thank You, Lord, that I love You so much.”
I should have prayed, “Lord, draw me more.” That same day, I experienced a severe chest pain and went to lie down. My lung had collapsed. I was in the hospital for four weeks recuperating. During that time I could not read the Bible at all, yet the Lord became so rich to me.
Many times we tell the Lord that we are doing something for Him or that we are so much for Him. All the Lord has to do is to touch us a little, and then we find we can do nothing for Him. He just touched my lung a little, and I had no strength even to read the Bible. The Lord desires that we cling to Him more than to anything else, even more than studying the Bible, giving messages, or preaching the gospel. Of course, when we have the Lord, we will do many of these things. What becomes most precious to us is not any of these outward things but Christ Himself.
Adapted from Ruth: Growth Unto Maturity, page 17-18.
Tomorrow: “Three Wonderful Results”