BBD 06.11.14 Strength from Weakness (New)
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The Burning
Bush Devotional
06.11.14
Strength
from Weakness
And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the
revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to
buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded
with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My
grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”
Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of
Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in
reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For
when I am weak, then I am strong. - 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 NKJV.
For 25
years, Station 17, has been making music. Station 17 is a somewhat obscure and
unusual band from Hamburg, Germany. The band is obscure because not a lot of
people know about it, and it is unusual because it consists of members who are
physically or mentally disabled. The band was formed by Kai Boysen, a social
worker, who had been the lead singer in the Painless Dirties, a punk rock
group. Boysen may have settled down, but the desire to make music never left
him. As a social worker, he found that music therapy was a wonderful tool for
use with the disabled. Within the weakness of the disabilities of Station 17,
has come the strength of their amazing creativity with a completely unique
sound. Here is the link to a YouTube video about the group: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STA7abbXkoo&feature=player_embedded
From
those society would deem of little value has come great value. Station 17 is
just one of countless times that society, the world, has been wrong about
people. Who would have thought that someone deaf and blind from birth could
earn a college degree and write 12 books? But that is what Helen Keller did.
How could anyone with muscular dystrophy contribute to society? But that is
what Ralph Braun did. In 1966, Ralph created the first wheelchair accessible
vehicle with hand controls. Through continued innovation, he has brought
mobility to millions of people. Although Abraham Lincoln suffered from bouts
with severe depression and grew up in the backwoods of Kentucky, Ohio and Illinois,
he was still able to become one of the greatest presidents of the United
States. The list of people with disabilities in one form or another that have
lived successful lives is endless.
Weakness in the hands of God, can be an overcoming power. God said to the apostle Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made
perfect in weakness.” Paul had a thorn in the flesh that he pleaded with
God on three separate occasions to remove. Those prayers were not answered in
the way that Paul thought that he wanted. However, Paul discovered a great
secret. What was that secret? Here is how Paul described it, “when I am weak, then I am strong.” Many believe that
his thorn in the flesh was a problem with his eyesight. Possibly a disease he
contracted on his first mission trip. But that did not stop Paul from writing.
He just spoke the words and another recorded them for us to read.
Think
about the strength and the good that has come from weakness. Consider the
weakness of a shepherd boy named David. David was the smallest and youngest of
the family, but he was the one who had the faith to believe he could sling a
stone and slay the giant Goliath. The ultimate example of strength from
weakness is given in Jesus. Jesus, the Creator of worlds who could have called
legions of angels to take him down from the cross, instead He became the
helpless lamb and through weakness became our Savior. If you have a thorn in
your flesh that has made you weak, remember that in the hands of God when you
are weak, you can be strong. As we are told through the apostle Paul, “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in
needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak,
then I am strong.”
Copyright © 2014. Ed Wrather. The
Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8, 1998
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