Daily Word of Grace #63 (June 11, 2020)
One of the Old Testament prophecies of Zechariah includes this gem, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). There are areas or circumstances or challenges in each of our lives that defy any “might” or “power” we may try to use to fix them. Even the Apostle Paul was not immune to this, as he revealed in his Second Letter to the Corinthians: “A thorn was given me in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7). Paul did not identify exactly what this “thorn in the flesh” was, but it obviously defied any efforts of his own might or power to fix it, and yet when he asked God to take away that “thorn in the flesh” he received a reply from God that he did not anticipate: “Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness’” (2 Corinthians 12:8-9). What is the “thorn in the flesh” in your life? What is your weakness that has defied every effort of might or power on your part to fix it? That is exactly where the God’s grace is sufficient for you, exactly where God’s words to Zechariah are God’s words to you, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit.” Paul then shows us the relief found in this truth: “So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell with me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Love and Prayers,
Dave