Why “Weak” is the New “Strong”

NEVER GIVE UP: WEEK 3

Pressure. Heat. Both elements that make us crack. Or maybe it’s just me. 

But have you ever watched a potter create with clay?

Recently, I was enraptured in a Facebook live video of a sweet friend of mine throwing a pot on her wheel. (That still doesn’t sound right, but I did consult her.)  Marsha makes beautiful, functional porcelain pottery and you can see why I was so enraptured if you visit her on Instagram @marshasclayart.

As the wet, fluid clay spun in dizzying circles, her hands and fingers pressed in and pulled up forming a vessel. A vessel that would be used to hold warm coffee or serve something delectable. 

I couldn’t help but relate to the clay, understanding what if feels like to be pressed and pulled. And if the pressure weren’t enough, the clay was put in a kiln where it reaches 2250 degrees. I’m no expert on any of this but that’s hot. I mean come on. I have a hard time with 90 and humid in Chicago.

Pressure. Heat. Both elements that if I were that clay would make me crack. Yet when we are in the hands of a powerful potter, these are elements that will awaken faith and release fortitude. 

Three weeks into “Never Give Up: How to Pursue God in our Present Times,” it’s finally time for my favorite verses of 2 Corinthians 4.

7 We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves (2 Corinthians 4:7).

Oh I love the reminder that we have the light of Christ shining in us but then its time for a heart to heart. The straight up truth finding its origins in the garden of Eden. 

We are weak. Fragile even. 

I don’t know about you but in our present times of COVID-19, I have come face to face with my weakness, my frailty. 

Whether it’s the impatience I demonstrated to my kids as we navigated our schooling or the energy I lacked to make a decent dinner or the tears that have spilled forth at a dimes notice thanks to sleep deprivation. I have come face to face with my weakness. 

However as I have brought my weakness to my heavenly Father, he has showed me “weak” is the new “strong.”

Let’s not miss the second half of our verse. “We are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that this great power is from God and not from us.”

When we are weak, we know we need something else to make it through. That  “something else” becomes the great treasure we have in God. We proclaim our dependence on him and not our independence from him. Let me say that again, when we know we are weak, we start to depend on him rather than be independent from him. When we respond to his invitation to do life together, we access the strength of God, the power that raised Christ from the dead. 

Weak is the new strong because we never were really strong in ourselves to begin with. We might have thought so but we never had the ultimate strength or power or provision to get us through this life. It is when we depend on the Great I AM that we can say…

8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 10 Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies (2 Corinthians 4:8-10).

As important as the vessel is, the treasure is what it contains. Meaning whats inside it is of utmost importance and value. I love the way the Wiersbe Commentary puts it, “Suffering reveals not only the weakness of man but also the glory of God.” 

When we depend on the presence and the power of God. When we cry out for his help and hope. When we pray for those that are ill and isolated. When we have no other security other than the saving grace of God. When we have nothing else to grab and grasp the hand of our father. That’s when the reality of his faithfulness is driven into places in our souls the sun hasn’t shown. Our faith in him is awakened and our fortitude in his Spirit released so that we never give up. 

Troubles may come, but we will overcome. Sleep deprivation may leave us exhausted, but we are not empty.  It may seem like the world is working against us, but we are not abandoned. Sure we slipped on the ice walking across the quad at college in front of hundreds of students, but we weren’t knocked down then and we won’t be knocked down now. 

We will get back up. Rise again. Move forward. Take one step at a time. Do the next right thing. (Thanks Emily P. Freeman, Frozen 2, and Born to be Brave.) 

So no matter the pressure or the heat, we have this great treasure inside us. God. His strength. His glory. His presence. And when he is revealed in our lives is when others realize he’s real and reaching out to them too. Let’s remember that and step faithfully forward with his fortitude this week because “weak” really is the new “strong.”

Reflection

1. Read all of 2 Corinthians 4 for the context of these verses and journal or discuss the questions below.

2. Would you describe yourself as fragile or strong in this moment and why?

3. What are the fears you have for the future? What is on your mind that is discouraging you?

4. If Jesus were looking you in the eye and asking what you need him to do for you, what would you say? Ask him for that in prayer. 

Respond

Dear Daddy, Would you fight for us and overcome our fears. Help us experience your peace that passes all understanding. Equip us with faith and fortitude. We are in a tight spot but your people have been there before and we trust you to make a way. You are the waymaker, miracle worker, and promise keeper. Help us focus and finish this leg of the journey Lord. We won’t give up! Love, Your Sons and Daughters – Amen.