Our Powerless God (1)

2 Corinthians 12:9 – But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.

In the movie titled "The Ref", there is an amusing scene where a married couple, who argue and yell at each other constantly, are being held hostage by a man who breaks into their home. Tired of listening to them, the man says, "Let's get one thing straight, OK? The only person who yells is me. Why? Because I have a gun. People with guns do whatever they want. No guns, no yelling!"

And so the couple cringe in fear. And so the world listens to the guy with the gun and the guy with the gun has the power to make people stop yelling or do anything at all, no matter how degrading and destructive and devastating.

The book of James actually gives us the moral of the story when it talks about the causes of war and fighting among us. "Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? You want something, and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it, so you engage in disputes and conflicts." (James 4:1) And so the story of the human race unfolds in all its brutality and brokenness.

We are invited to find all that we need to live lives of faithfulness in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Gracious God: give us in our weakness the strength of Jesus Christ to touch and transform and heal and make whole a world fill with worry, war and woe. We pray in this powerful name. Amen.