Weak or Strong?

We don’t like to think of ourselves as weak, do we? We might even take pride in our strength.

I was interested in an experience of Dr. David Reagan of Lamb and Lion Ministries. He had taken a group to Israel.

One morning the group was at the Garden Tomb. Dr. Reagan said he was having kind of an “off” day. Imagine being in Israel and having an “off” day!

He explained that the guides at the Tomb are usually Evangelical pastors from Europe, mostly from Britain, and they rotate every few months.

On that particular day, the man who spoke to them was a young Dutchman. His appearance itself was very off-putting. He was very tall and thin, almost skeletal. He was entirely bald, and his prominent ears protruded on each side. His nose looked like it had been broken several times. It wandered all over his face. On top of that, when he began to speak, he had a speech impediment!

Reagan said, “I was startled by what he had to say. Instead of the usual tourist prattle, he simply said, ‘I want to take a moment and share with you what Jesus has done in my life.’”

Dr. Reagan commented, “I don’t remember much of what the man said. All I know is that I was transported into the presence of Jesus. And my heart was touched by the power of the Lord’s spirit.”

When the man finished speaking, they all just sat there dumbfounded by what they had experienced. A woman sitting next to Reagan from another group, whom he had never met, turned to him and said, “You know, for the first time, I think I understand why the Apostle Paul was such a powerful evangelist. I think he must have been like that man, with no strength or beauty in himself. Yet in his weakness the power of God was displayed.”

Dr. Reagan said, “In three sentences that lady preached one of the most powerful sermons I ever heard. All I could say was, “Thank you, Lord. Thank you.”

His words reminded me of a process used in Japanese pottery called Kintsugy. When a vessel is broken, it isn’t cast aside as lost or useless. Instead the potter takes the shards and reassembles them, filling the cracks with pure gold. When finished, the repaired piece has more value than the original.

The words of the Apostle Paul ring with this truth: “And he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee. For my strength is made perfect in weakness. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9.