God’s Love Is On Your Side

 

2Corinthians 12:9-10(NLT)

9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

A friend of mine got a phone call from her daughter who is a sophomore in college. She’s six-hours away from home, and my friend had a lot of reservation about her daughter choosing a school that far away. Initially, my friend thought it was another weekly check-in call, but this time she noticed her daughter’s voice was a bit different than before. Her normal bubbly, high-pitched voice saying “Hi mom, I just called to hear your voice and say hello!” was replaced with a squeaky and shaky, “Hi mom, I hope you don’t hate me after you hear what I have to tell you.”

Her daughter was six-months pregnant by a football player. She was going to have to come home and finish college later. Questions consumed her mom’s mind. Repeatedly, she asked herself, “What did I do wrong? Did I give her too much freedom? Did I fail at preparing her for ‘real life’? Should I have put my foot down about her choosing to be so far from home?” Both mom and daughter felt downtrodden and overwhelmed by the situation. Neither of them was sure about what to do next, and the thought of praying and leaning on the Lord was not on their minds.

Our darkest valley can be unveiled in the unpredictability of life. The unexpected can bring us to our knees, and one mistake can change our lives forever. The decisions and choices we need to make when facing uncertainty can cause us to feel overwhelmed with sadness and fear. However, our faith in God makes all the difference. We can take comfort in the reality that whether we’re feeling physically, emotionally, or mentally weak, we must trust in God that we can be strengthened in Him through the Lord Jesus Christ. We are God's children, and this means we have authority through our Lord and Savior to overcome obstacles and challenges. We can invite his power and ability into the situations and circumstances we face, no matter what they are.

Philippians 2:9-11(NLT) tells us, “9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” This verse is telling us about the power and glory of our precious Lord and Savior! Because our Heavenly Father has elevated Christ, no one compares to him, and he uses his power to help us. Jesus gave his life on the cross to pay for the sins of all people. He gave up his divine privileges, left the throne of God, and came to earth to complete God’s mission. He was born as a human being and experienced all the trouble, suffering, and joys that human beings experience. He even experienced death on the cross and showed us that even death could not conquer him.

Jesus dying on the cross was an incredible act of love. He said in John 15:13(NLT), “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” When we accept his love in our hearts, and believe in his sacrifice and resurrection, a spiritual transaction occurs. Our faith in his life, death, and resurrection causes a rebirth of our human spirit. Our human spirits come alive to God in a way they couldn’t have before. Jesus Christ is the door to our Almighty God and His gift of eternal life, and when we enter the door, we walk into life in the Spirit. In John 10:9(NKJV), Jesus said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”

The passage in 2Corinthians 12:9-10 affirms that God shows His strength in our weakness, because the power of Christ can work through us, but we must place our faith and trust in God. As His Children, we don’t have to be afraid of what’s to come, and we do not have to be consumed with anxiety over challenging situations. Hebrews 13:5 declares that God will never leave or forsake us. He is with us always! Trusting in this truth will make the difference between being spiritually equipped to handle change and problems or being overwhelmed with the issues of life and lost in a world of confusion. 

Isaiah 40:29(NLT) proclaims, “He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.” God wants us to depend totally on Him, and this is true even when we have made mistakes and gotten ourselves in a world of trouble. He knows we are going to have mess-ups, mishaps, and hiccups in life. We can’t handle this stuff on our own, and we shouldn’t be prideful and think we can. God is our Source and Sufficiency! He is our Refuge and is forever on our side. Through the Spirit of Christ working in us, Romans 8:28 assures that He will cause all things to work together for our good. This is God’s promise, and He will never break it. Trust Him with your whole heart, because God cannot fail!■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. New King James Version (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

“God Is on Your Side”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2021. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.