Power Perfected In My Empty Hands
When my arms give out, another strength carries the load; so it is when the life of Jesus bears what I cannot.
Devotional Credit: Abide Above by Miles Stanford
Photo Credit: Unsplash
We often imagine that God is testing us to see if we will pass or fail. Miles Stanford gently reframes this. Our Father is not grading our worth. He is growing our trust. Over time He makes us honestly aware of our utter inability so that we may rest in His total sufficiency. What looks like weakness to the world becomes the doorway where the life of Jesus flows.
Stanford reminds us that we are beginners in the school of faith until we are carried beyond our own wisdom and resources. When every human lever slips, we discover the unfailing strength that is already ours in union with Jesus. The enemy is glad to make people strong in themselves. The Lord makes His servants aware of their nothingness so they may lean upon His everything. That lesson can take time, but our Father counts no cost too great to anchor us in His adequacy. I am grateful for Stanford’s clear voice here, and for J. B. Stoney’s insight that faith centers our life in the Lord rather than in what we can see or manage.
Faith, then, is not boosted by staring at the visible. The visible often pulls us away from trust. Eve set her eyes on what looked good and pleasant, and faith slipped from her hands. In contrast, when our hearts rest on the Word of God and the Person of Jesus, faith operates freely. The moment we are detained by what we can measure or control, trust is obstructed. The Spirit keeps us tuned to the unseen reality of our union with the risen Lord.
This is not stoic grit. It is the life of abiding in Jesus. He does not ask us to be partly strong in Him and partly strong in ourselves. He invites us to cease from self-reliance and to draw from His indwelling life. That is where cheerful endurance and deep patience grow. That is where weakness turns into worship, and impossibility becomes a platform for His perfect power.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
Child, I am not shaming you with your limits. I am showing you where My Son is your sufficiency. My grace is enough for you, and My power is brought to its intended fullness in your conscious weakness. You were not made to divide your trust between Me and yourself. You were created to live from My life within you.
I have joined you to Jesus. You died with Him, and you were raised with Him. My Spirit lives in you as the wellspring of endurance and patience. When the visible shouts for your attention, fix your heart on what is true in Me. I strengthen you with power in the inner person. I supply wisdom for each step. I steady you so that you may bear fruit in every good work as you keep learning Me.
Do not fear the moments when your resources fail. Those are the places where you discover that I am faithful. Let your weakness turn you toward thanksgiving. Let your need become a doorway to fellowship. Stand in My peace, and watch Me do what you cannot do. I will complete what I began in you.
Scripture References: 2 Corinthians 12:9-10; Psalm 84:5; Isaiah 40:29-31; 2 Corinthians 1:9; 2 Corinthians 3:5; 2 Corinthians 4:7; Galatians 2:20; Romans 6:6-11; Colossians 1:11; Colossians 2:9-10; Ephesians 1:3; Ephesians 3:16-19; Philippians 2:13; Philippians 4:13; Philippians 4:19; Hebrews 4:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:24; John 15:4-5; Romans 8:11; Psalm 73:26.
Real-Life Analogy
Picture moving a heavy stack of boxes across a room. You try to carry them in your arms, and halfway through your strength collapses. Then you slide a simple hand truck under the load, tip it back, and roll the weight with ease. The load did not change. The source of carrying power did. Depending on your arms exposed limits. Depending on the dolly revealed a better way.
If a hard conversation or a piling to-do list feels like that stack today, pause and say, “Lord, I trust You to live Your life through me as I answer this difficult email.” Then proceed with a calm tone, a clear sentence, and patience you draw from Him rather than from yourself.
Prayer of Confidence
Lord, thank You that Your grace is enough and Your power is made complete in my weakness. Thank You that I am joined to Jesus, alive to You, and supplied with all I need for life and godliness. I rest from self-reliance and receive Your adequacy for today’s assignments. I rejoice that You will express Your life in me and through me in each moment that comes.