Robbing God of Our Weakness

When Jesus began his ministry, and throughout his 3 years of public ministry, he performed many miracles.  Luke 4:31-44, I believe, relveals something interesting about WHY he performed those miracles.  Yes, he was certainly motivated by compassion for those he healed.  But in Luke we see Jesus leave a multitude of needy people so that he could go elsewhere to declare the gospel of the kingdom of God.

This fact, as well as the context of Jesus’ statements in the synagogue just a few verses earlier, make it clear that these miracles are meant to proclaim the arrival of “the year of the Lord’s favor”.  The coming of the Messiah, the inauguration of God’s kingdom on earth.  Jesus was doing what only God could do.

For us, this has radical consequences.  This means that our weakness, sickness, brokeness, poverty, etc is not TRULY a handicap.  Not to sound too much like a motivational speaker, but your weakness is Jesus’ opportunity to declare his name.  To declare that the Kingdom of God is now.  To declare “the year of the Lord’s favor”.  Your weakness is the best way for God to get the glory he deserves.

Could it be that when we boast of our strengths and try to conceal our weaknesses that we are robbing God of his chance of using us to proclaim his message through us?  Could it be that we’ve got it backwards?  Maybe our strength is our greatest enemy and our weakness our greatest asset.