Have you ever felt like the world is caving in on you, like you didn’t have the strength to face one more challenge? As if your mind, body and spirit were depleted? Throughout my life, I have felt this way several times, but looking back, one dark chapter stands out above the rest. At the time, I was 26, working fulltime, going to school, a husband and a father of two. This would be enough to deplete anyone, but on top of all that, my one-year-old son Paul had just had his fourth surgery due to kidney problems.
Soon after that surgery, the longest and most complicated of the four medical procedures, my wife and I brought him home. Sadly, things got worse. Whenever we touched him, his small body would jerk, and he would cry in agony. Out of fear for our son’s health, I drove my wife and him back to the hospital. With a paper due shortly, I waited impatiently for an update in the seminary library. But when my wife called, the news depleted what was left of my spirit. The doctors thought it was a serious enough issue that they needed to do a spinal tap. The first thing I thought was, “Lord, I don’t think I can handle my son having another illness. I don’t have the strength.”
In the Bible, the Apostle Paul found himself dealing with an issue beyond his own strength and comprehension. As he struggled, the Lord spoke to him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” In other words, when we are weak, God is strong for us. Though we know this is true, when times are hard we have a tendency to feel powerless. But it is in these times that we must acknowledge our need for the strength of the Lord. We must trust that His hand will carry us, and His presence will empower us.
In the end, my wife and I received good news. It turned out that my son had a bad reaction to the medication he was prescribed after the surgery, but he would be just fine. It has been years since that day, but the lesson I learned has stayed with me: when we are weak, God is strong for us. It was God who got me through that dark time and it is God who will get me through whatever lies ahead.
Lord, give us strength and faith to believe You are strong for us.
