“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Cor. 12:9)
The Lord will never give you more than you can bear, but He make take you to a point that you do not believe those words.
When He says that His strength is made perfect in weakness, it does not mean that He is weak when we are strong, this is one of the few times that the inverse of something does not hold as truth, God is never, nor will He ever be weak. Neither does it mean that He cannot function in our lives when that supposed strength in us, what is commonly called pride, raises its head in rebellion against Him.
“But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:” (Malachi 3:2)
Because the Almighty has seen fit in His infinite mercy to bless all mankind with free will it does not mean that our will can supersede His, it is that He has allowed it to be so, God does not force virtue on anyone. His strength is made perfect when we realize who He is and live our lives accordingly, in humility and reverence of the Sovereign Lord of all creation. We change, or better yet, we allow the Holy Spirit to change us, we recognize that we are but dust, and will return to that dust, that we are finite, and He alone is infinite.
Indeed, our strength is only found in Him.
When we say, “Thy will be done” we are acquiescing to the leadership of the Lord in our lives, we relinquish any and all presumed power we may believe ourselves to have and submit fully to His will in our lives. We trust Him to lead us, whether it be beside the still waters or into the fire. “But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” (Daniel 3:18)
Our weakness, given willingly, allows His strength to empower us, our pride, only because of His mercy that endures forever allows us to deceive ourselves into believing that we have strength.
“Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?” (Matt. 6:27) If you cannot make yourself taller, which is a lite matter, how can you lengthen your days? “LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.” (Psalm 39:4)
The path of pride is the path of death, the way of the lost, unrepentant soul can no more find their way to the Celestial Kingdom than they can teach themselves to fly. His strength is made perfect when we come to the realization of the truth that we have no strength in ourselves. Therefore, whatever the Lord allows to come into your life, it can be dealt with, no matter what it is, no matter how dire the circumstances may seem. And not just because we know for a fact that one day all pain and sorrow will be gone, but because we know the truth, that He is with us today, and He will never leave us or forsake us.
Consider the moment not recorded for us when Job walked towards his wife after the Lord finished speaking with him, everything is still gone, their children will not be returning, yet they knew the promises, rested in them, and continued serving the Lord God Almighty. Our Lord Jesus Christ went to the cross of His own free will, after He sweat droplets of blood, Peter got up and served after he wept bitterly, Paul walked into every dungeon of his own free will.
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” (Jer. 29:11) Those thoughts are toward us, and each trial or tribulation draws us closer to the One who either allows them, or brings them upon us.
