Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” And God blessed them. (Genesis 1: 26 and 28a).

Nice! We are given dominion over other creatures. God has blessed us! As humans, created by the Lord, we may be tempted to let pride sneak in — at least I have. I’m special, after all. I’m created in the image of God! I think of myself as fairly intelligent and capable — but I am, in fact, weak. In the midst of a storm, I stumble and fall. In the face of the death of a loved one, I struggle to understand. When the trials of this world and my own sinful self weigh me down, it is undeniably obvious — I am weak.

I certainly do not have the power to calm the storm, escape death, or atone for my own sins. But my Savior is full of grace and mercy, and when I am weak I can find strength in His power. I glorify my Father by trusting His Son. In the midst of the storm, He is there to walk alongside me. In the face of death, He is there to comfort me and remind me of His promises. Because I cannot atone for my own sin, my faithful and loving Savior suffered and died on the cross in my place. He rose triumphantly to conquer sin, death, and the power of the devil. He was strong — for me. He is strong — for all of His children.

I have had rheumatoid arthritis since I was 12 years old. There were years when walking was a struggle. Most of us have dealt with challenges in our lives. Paul was no exception and pleaded with the Lord to take his burden away. God answered and Paul found clarity. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:9–10).

Sometimes my struggle is physical, and I go to this verse. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever (Psalm 73:26).

Sometimes my struggle is something I can’t even describe, and yet my Lord provides. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words (Romans 8:26).

It is undeniably obvious that I am weak. It is undeniably obvious that my Lord is strong!

The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. The Lord is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed (Psalm 28:7–8).

Today, and always, we are surrounded by HIS grace,

Debbie