Embracing God’s Power In Your Weakness

Do you ever have those mornings where you didn’t sleep well, the kids woke up early, running around the house, shouting at ungodly decibel levels?

With your to-do list running through your head as fast as the pitter patter of kids chasing each other down the hallway, you think, “I don’t have what it takes to get through this day!” 

That was my morning today, and when I finally got to hop in the shower, I let myself have a little cry. 

I cried because I wasn’t feeling up to the task of parenting and homeschooling, not to mention all the other appointments and to-do’s on the agenda for the day (which was already an unusual amount). 

I cried because I felt like I was failing in so many areas. I cried because fear and anxiety were mounting and I didn’t see a way through it. I know you mamas feel me here!

But as I cried, I also began to pray:

God, You are so much bigger than these momentary afflictions! You’re a good Father and want to give me good things. Give me Your peace in this moment, assuring me of Your presence with me. Thank You for the gift of being able to educate my children at home! Give me the grace I need for today to carry out my responsibilities, and order my steps so I waste no time on anything that has little value. I give You all my anxiety and fear, and trust You with the cares of today. Give me a word to meditate on just for the day, that I might receive more from You than I could even ask or imagine. 

Then I heard “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor. 12:9). I came out of my shower at peace, encouraged to embrace my weakness and ask for God to provide the energy, wisdom, and fortitude I needed for the day.

 What happened next? 

The rest of the day was by no means remarkable or perfect, but when circumstances threatened to drive me back into discouragement and despair, I sensed God drawing me back into His peace, reminding me that He would continue to meet all my needs through Christ (See Phil. 4:19). 

The kids and I wrapped up the day with a sense of contentment and joy, and we will live to see another day, no worse for the wear, but grateful for the reminder that Jesus is enough in the ordinary and mundane tasks of motherhood. 

As you hear this story, maybe it feels unattainable to you. Or maybe it feels a bit underwhelming, not the happy ending you would expect.

In my experience, God doesn’t always rush in to rescue us from struggle, and encountering God during the day doesn’t always feel like spiritual fireworks. 

But He does promise to be present in our pain, to help carry our burdens and empower us to do what He has called us to do by His grace. It’s not magic that makes life more manageable, it’s love. 

But what stops us from tapping into this love and grace throughout the day? 

Trusting the Goodness of God

Jesus declared our heavenly Father is a good and perfect parent who wants to give His children good things all the time. We only need to ask (Matt 7:11). So, if we know this, then why do we struggle to trust that He will give us what we need?

I think it comes down to some of these reasons: 

1. Control. We struggle to trust God will provide because, deep inside, we want to feel in control of our lives. We want to know we have what it takes to do everything well. While that does give us a sense of control, it also makes us feel fear, shame, guilt when things go wrong. 

Trusting God means I surrender my own expectations and efforts, waiting on Him to provide what I need in each moment. 

2. Fear and uncertainty. Trusting God to meet our needs when things feel urgent or scary leaves us feeling vulnerable, which creates space for fear to creep in that maybe God won’t actually come through. 

Trusting God means I lay my present circumstances before Him, giving over my fears and being honest about my vulnerabilities while asking Him for peace and discernment (See Proverbs 3:5-6).

3. Past experiences. Hurtful experiences in our past – sexual abuse, unhealthy relationships, financial instability, or unanswered prayers – can erode our trust in God as well. We might find ourselves dwelling on past moments when we were vulnerable or hurting and it felt like God didn’t protect us. 

Trusting God means I intentionally choose to believe in God’s goodness, faithfulness, and grace in spite of my painful past, knowing He has promised that He will work all things for God to those who love Him and are called according to His purposes (See Romans 8:28). 

4. Cultural influences. We live in a society that promotes independence, self-reliance, material success and security. Everything we need is one click or swipe away, and we assume we can pull most things off without God’s input or provision. But culture changes all the time and, eventually, we will feel discontent and imbalanced as we struggle to keep up with cultural expectations instead of moving in the will of God. 

Trusting God means I willingly submit all my decisions and resources – spiritual, relational, physical, intellectual, and financial – to God, listening for His guidance on when and how to use those resources.  

5. Lack of faith. It really comes down to this. Faith literally means “trust” and, ultimately, accessing God’s provision in our weakness requires a strong foundation of faith. In what? God’s good character and unlimited power. This doesn’t happen overnight. It’s like a muscle we need to exercise over time. 

Kevin “KB” Burgess in his book, Dangerous Jesus, makes a great point about faith when he says, “Our faith is more at risk – is most at risk – when it is cultivated without risk.” 

Trusting God means cultivating a faith that consistently takes greater and greater risks to ask for and access God’s provision, guidance, and power. 

So, what might this look like in our day to day lives? Here are three practices I try to keep in mind everyday. 

1. Cultivate an attitude of expectation. This is a practice that takes time to develop by intentionally speaking it over yourself: I am the beloved daughter/son of a good Father who wants to give me good things. 

 2. Cultivate gratitude for what you already have, big and small. When we practice being grateful for what we have, we position ourselves to be grateful for whatever provisions we receive from God. 

 3. Confidently ask for more. Jesus implored us to keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking, expecting to receive more from Him – in spite of our sinfulness and brokenness. The same way we want to bless and surprise our children, the Father wants to bless and surprise us. We only need to ask!

So if you find yourself feeling like you need more – energy, patience, resources, help, health, wisdom, community – be encouraged that you are perfectly loved by a good Father who knows what you need – so ask boldly and trust you will receive!