Investigating the Bible: Strength in weakness

Franklin Graham is the son of Billy Graham and CEO of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian organization providing aid to those in crisis around the world. One of the ministries of the Samaritan’s Purse is to give destitute children shoeboxes packed with toys and candies at Christmas. During Christmas of 1995, President Bill Clinton prepared a presidential shoebox to be given to some child. That season Franklin Graham traveled to Bosnia with thousands of shoeboxes, including Clinton’s. The war from Bosnia’s declaration of independence from Yugoslavia had just ended. Many buildings in the cities were piles of bombed-out rubble; citizens and children suffered terrible injuries. Graham wanted to find the special child for the president’s gift shoebox. He did with little Zlada Dich. She was in a hospital and had lost one of her legs to a mortar bomb. They found her hobbling down hospital corridors, helping to cheer up other amputees. Perhaps the hardest of difficulties are physical, when our body is in pain or our abilities are severely compromised.

The apostle Paul had been uniquely blessed by God. He also suffered some continuing physical affliction. “Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me — to keep me from exalting myself.” (2 Corinthians 12:7, New American Standard Bible used throughout). His response demonstrates actions to take when difficulties and suffering come.

Ask for healing. Paul wrote about his “thorn in the flesh,” “…I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. (2 Corinthians 12:8). Biblical scholar William Barclay has the best description of this ‘thorn’. Paul likely suffered from recurring attacks of a malarial fever common to eastern Mediterranean. With it, comes headaches which are described as being like a “red-hot bar thrust upon the forehead.”

Listen to God’s word. For Paul, God’s answer was no. “And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’

Find the strength in the weakness. Paul wrote: “Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore, I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9,10).

Fanny Crosby was born in 1820. From a young age, she was a gifted with rhyme, but not math. At age 6, she wrote, “I abhor, I despise, it makes me sick, whenever I hear the word arithmetic!” As an adult, she used her skill to write some 8,000 hymns, many of which are still sung today. What some do not know, is that Fanny Crosby was blind from childhood. A doctor treated her for an eye infection, and she lost her sight. She did not blame the doctor, who felt remorse his entire life. Today, some believe that her blindness was congenital and not from the treatment. She never felt her blindness a disability. In fact, she felt it was God’s gift. She said, “I could not have written thousands of hymns, if I had been hindered by the distractions of seeing all the interesting and beautiful objects that would have been presented to my notice. And her hymns take on new meaning, realizing she was blind. Here’s the words of “My Savior First of All”. “When my lifework is ended and I cross the swelling tide. When the bright and glorious morning I shall see; I shall know my redeemer when I reach the other side. And his smile will be the first to welcome me. I shall know Him, I shall know Him. And redeemed by His side I shall stand. I shall know Him. I shall know Him, by the print of the nails in His hand.”

David Carlson Pastor (yes, that is his last name, not his profession) lives in Oregon and is a graduate of Bethel Theological Seminary in Minnesota (M.Div., M.Th.).