God of All Comfort,
Thank you!
You know we are plagued
by weakness and weariness.
You know our world demands
that we be strong, independent,
powerful, competent.
You know some Christians boast,
“I can do all things through Christ
who strengthens me,” (Philippians 4:13),
but we feel inadequate.
Thank you for Paul’s honesty about his weakness
in the face of “deadly peril,”
“a thorn in the flesh,”
and countless other threats.
Lord, for those of us who “despair of life itself,”
may our weakness drive us straight into your strength.
May our weakness teach us
to “rely not on ourselves but the God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:9).
When we feel overburdened,
whether from a shipwreck of relationship,
the shadow of sickness
or the shouting accusation of failure,
may we remember
that you have you have already delivered us
from the “deadly peril” of sin and death,
and that you will continue to deliver us,
until the day you return.
In your trustworthy name. Amen.
Read 2 Corinthians 1:8-11; 2 Corinthians 12:1-10.
