(Photo by Selma Komisky)
The Mighty God Who Embraces Our Weakness
By Jasmin Patterson
Every December, I spend the month reading through the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ birth, and the Old Testament prophecies about His coming to Earth. I guess it’s my way of practicing Advent. Isaiah 9:6 is one of my absolute favorite verses: “For a child is born to us, a Son is given to us. The government will rest on His shoulders. And He will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (NLT).
Mighty God. Merriam Webster’s dictionary defines the word mighty as “powerful.” That’s true about our God, isn’t it?
God reveals Himself as mighty, in so many ways throughout the Bible. He’s the Creator who brought forth the entire universe from nothing. He’s the Sustainer who upholds the world He made; He gives life and breath to you, and me. He’s the Savior who had a rescue plan for humanity, before the first sin was even committed. He’s the King who will return, and rule the whole world in righteousness forever (Acts 17:24-28).
As we approach the Christmas season, knowing all this about our great God, makes it even more mind-blowing to consider the way our Mighty God entered the world. He embraced the weakness of being human, coming as a baby. I know the story is familiar to us, but there’s so much more to unpack than some cute Christmas carols, and a Nativity scene on your yard.
Do we understand the massive implications of Jesus embracing the weakness of the human experience?! It means He knows what it’s like to walk in your shoes. We learn from Hebrews 2:14-18 and Hebrews 4:14-16 that Jesus experienced the same suffering, tests, and temptations that we do during His life on Earth. Yet, He never sinned, and He was victorious over every trial.
That’s good news for us, friend! Jesus, our Mighty God, is able to relate to our struggles and weaknesses as human beings; He is strong enough to help us overcome them. As the Apostle Paul taught us in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, Jesus is the God whose strength is made perfect in our weakness.
What does His strength in our weakness look like? Well, it can look like comfort as we endure a trial, or deliverance from the trial. It may look like mercy for us when we sin, and grace that empowers us to repent and walk in righteousness going forward. It can look like help when we’re overwhelmed, and wisdom when we don’t know what to do.
In early 2019, I went through a season with lots of transition, in multiple parts of my life at once. I was overwhelmed with fear and stress for months. One night, I remember being so overcome with anxiety and sadness that I felt like I couldn’t even control my own thoughts. Sure, it was the accumulated emotions of the season I was walking through, but I could it tell it was also spiritual attack, because of how intense and irrational my thoughts and feelings became in that moment.
I was alone in my room and didn’t know what else to do, other than pull out my guitar and worship. As I sang, through tears, worship songs declaring who Jesus is, the presence of my Mighty God comforted me. Those racing thoughts and crippling emotions were silenced, and I was able to sleep soundly that night. I’m so grateful God showed up in power when I wasn’t able to fight for myself.
Jesus isn’t only mighty in how He works in the world: He’s mighty in how He works in your life. In what area of your life do you need to invite Jesus to demonstrate His strength in your weakness? Whatever it is, He gets it, and He’s inviting you to come to Him. He’s waiting with a heart full of compassion, and with arms full of might.
Find out more about Jasmin by visiting jasminpatterson.com/
MARKED MINISTRY 