Even When You're Weak, He's Strong

WEBVTT

00:00:01.030 --> 00:00:17.210
*click* She was 26, a brand new mom in Los Angeles, when a hidden AVM in her brain burst. An AVM is a tangle of blood vessels that creates irregular connections between arteries and veins in the brain.

00:00:12.990 --> 00:00:19.650
Without warning, Catherine Wolfe collapsed from a massive brain stem stroke.

00:00:21.684 --> 00:00:44.423
survive. tried to work for 16 hours. She spent 40 days in the ICU, then a year in neurological rehab, and would endure multiple follow-up surgeries. Weakness wasn't just a theory for Catherine anymore. It was daily life. Where do you find strength when your body can't do what it used to do, and the future you planned is gone?

00:00:48.023 --> 00:01:05.545
Welcome to Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. I'm Bart Leger. You know, there are moments when life knocks the wind out of you physically, emotionally, or spiritually. And you can't fix it. And you can't fake it.

00:01:01.005 --> 00:01:22.704
You're just... empty. But that's when the gospel meets us, in our weakness. Isaiah 40: 29 says, And Paul echoes it in 2 Corinthians 12: 10: That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses.

00:01:18.765 --> 00:01:26.245
And in the insults, hardships, and persecutions, and troubles I suffer for Christ.

00:01:28.965 --> 00:02:13.814
And I am strong. God never asked us to impress him with our strength. The reality is, we have none. He asked us to trust him with our weaknesses. And then, in the last few days, Catherine and her husband Jay tell it this way: "They learned to receive strength for the next step, not for the next decade." Out of that dependence, they began sharing their story in the book, Hope Heals, and later Suffer Strong, pointing people to Christ's power in real weakness. Today, their Hope Heals ministry hosts camps and retreats for families affected by disability. They offer spaces where weary hearts are reminded that God meets us and supplies what we lack. Catherine once

00:02:13.814 --> 00:02:41.645
"I still can't do everything I used to do, but I can do what God calls me to do today." That's the way God's strength works. He takes over where our ability ends. That doesn't mean we won't struggle, but it means we'll experience God's strength in the middle of it. You may not be recovering from a stroke, but you know what weakness feels like: exhaustion, disappointment, and the weight of something that won't let go.

00:02:42.544 --> 00:03:02.034
God's Word doesn't deny our limits. It transforms them. When Paul wrote, "When I am weak, then I am strong," he wasn't celebrating hardship. He was celebrating the sufficiency of Christ. Because when you run out of your own strength, that's when you discover God's.

00:02:59.175 --> 00:03:14.955
Weakness isn't a disqualification. It's an invitation to rest in God's sufficiency. It's an invitation to depend on God in ways you never would if you felt strong all the time. So whatever feels

00:03:14.955 --> 00:03:19.014
you don't have to carry it alone.

00:03:19.534 --> 00:03:23.224
God gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.

00:03:24.104 --> 00:03:30.844
Here's today's challenge. Be honest with God about one area of weakness you've been trying to hide or maybe fix on your own.

00:03:30.865 --> 00:04:00.935
"Lord, I can't, but you can. Be my strength today." Don't rush ahead. Let him give you what you need for the next step, not the next decade. Heavenly Father, thank you that my weaknesses don't scare you. When I feel like I have nothing left, remind me that your strength never runs out. Teach me to rest in your power and to trust that you're enough for what's in front of me today. In Jesus' name, amen.

00:04:01.655 --> 00:04:04.664
Thanks for joining me today on Daily Devotions for Busy Lives.

00:04:05.485 --> 00:04:19.805
Remember, God doesn't expect you to be perfect. He invites you to depend on His strength. Come back next time for more encouragement to help you live grounded in God's truth. Until then, God bless and have a great day.