As my body deteriorates and my weakness becomes more and more discouraging, I wonder what Paul means when he says:

2 Corinthians 12:9b – "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (NIV)

For me, weakness means failure and inability to cope with the day's activities, but now, as Christ's power rests on me, everything changes. My weakness is not lost time anymore. God's grace is carrying me through with amazing power.

Today, I sit in my old apartment writing this devotional. Yes, I did not move. It's a long story, but here I am, stuck, living among boxes that are too heavy for me to move. Yes, my physical weakness burdens me. How does Jesus use it? Things are working out in ways that I never anticipated.

For many of us, "weakness" is spiritual. Do we try to cope, only turning and talking with God when we realize our failures? Do we only rarely ask the Holy Spirit for help as we struggle? I face my problems day by day, but I trust the Holy Spirit to work everything out to His glory and my peace.

The amazing thing is that when the Holy Spirit turns us around in a new direction, something wonderful happens. It feels as if God has touched me with grace, and my heart blossoms as the unexpected happens. Yes, that's grace! There are sometimes little things happening that I had given no thought to previously and not planned for, but now as they happen, they fill me with joy and peace, for I can see God's hand in them.

This morning, for example, as I turned over in my bed to get up, I realized that I felt different: I had slept well for a change. I easily got up and started writing the manuscript for my new book — the story of my life. Everyone had been asking me about Bermuda, and so today, I just started typing. The Lord was giving me the words, and with no struggle, they came to my fingertips. It's wonderful and reassuring. Yes, the Lord does care!

I am following the Lord's guidance and not my own worries. I feel energized as I take all my worries to the Lord for guidance. You and I need to pray for each other as we open to the Lord when we feel lost and lonely. Yes, God is nearby. He will answer as we stand amazed and humbled that He is actually working in our lives, saving us from our fears and our struggles with physical weakness. All that we need is to trust Him fully. He is there beside us, comforting us.

Yes, God's power is made perfect in our weakness. That is why, for Christ's sake, we can delight in weakness, for when we are weak, then we are strong with Jesus' Spirit leading us.

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, we give You our hearts and trust You to fill them with Your guidance as we tackle the hard choices that face us today. By Your grace, we know that our way is planned by You and that all will be well. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

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