My weakness is His power made perfect

Column Post by Laura Hyers

Today I am thankful that I can write for this community of women and be real and share my heart. I am thankful because I know that I can be honest and vulnerable and that you, beautiful reader, will understand.

I’ve been struggling today. I’ve been struggling because I have endometriosis. Odds are, you’ve heard of it; and if not, it’s some complicated lady issue and I’m glad you don’t know about it. Today I am in pain, and lots of it. But the issue doesn’t lie with the pain (I’d like to think I have a pretty high pain tolerance) but with my head and my heart.

People have told me time and time again that I should pray asking for healing, pray believing that God will make me well and that I won’t need medicine or that we can find a medicine that is truly effective. And I have prayed—oh have I prayed. But the pain persists, and the medications I take can only do so much to manage the condition, and for one weekend every month I’m left wondering if I didn’t really believe God could heal me, or if maybe He just didn’t believe me. I wonder if I didn’t do something right, if there’s some bigger reason He has not made me well like so many people told me He would if I just believed.

I was reading my Bible this morning, trying to be productive before cramps knocked me out of commission for the day, and I read in 2 Corinthians 12 Paul’s story about the thorn in his side that he asked God three times to take from him. But God didn’t take it. God said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness,” and Paul was left to struggle and in the end he tells us that he was proud of this weakness.

And I think, so maybe this is why I haven’t been “healed” the way I thought I would be—God has many things to teach me through this struggle; if He simply took it away, what wisdom and truth would I be missing out on?

“For the Lord builds up Zion, he appears in his glory; he regards the prayer of the destitute and does not despise their prayer.” (Psalm 102:16-17)

Just because God didn’t answer my prayers the way I hoped He would doesn’t mean I didn’t do it right or didn’t believe enough. He has bigger plans for me than what I can see; He will not leave me broken but will make me whole in His own time and as He sees fit.

What weaknesses are you struggling with? What prayers in your life seem unanswered today? Can you see the strength of God working in you through those things? The Lord is offering us the opportunity to trust Him in our cracked places, and though our bodies and wills may fail, He never will.

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P.S. We’d love to know your thoughts, so please be sure to comment below. Each of our commenters will be entered in a drawing for our current FREE book giveaway, Mothers & Daughters: Mending a Strained Relationship by author Teena Stewart. 

Laura Hyers is a Tampa native, writer, and the newly wed wife of musician Caleb. She recently graduated from the University of South Florida with a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a concentration in literature and is currently teaching preschool. When not chasing a class of two-year-olds, Laura is writing and fighting fierce bouts of wanderlust. She loves music, reading, being near the ocean, and dreaming big over huge cups of coffee with her best friend Lakin. Laura blogs at http://littlebirdmarie.wordpress.com.

Read more encouraging stories from brave-hearted women here. Be sure to grab your free copy of inspirational quotes and writing prompts while you’re there. (Look over on the right hand side!)

5 thoughts on “My weakness is His power made perfect

  1. Hi Laura. I know every reader can relate to what you wrote. My journey with this line of thinking began over thirty-five years ago with emotional illness. I prayed…I begged…I lived in fear (agoraphobia). Well-meaning Christian friends told me to have more faith, to take a stand, to tell the Devil where to go! None of it worked. I was left believing I wasn’t even a Christian and God just didn’t want me. He did, and I grew and healed and experienced freedom. Then more storms gathered on the horizon. I broke my neck and the medical care I got produced disabilities and chronic pain. I developed a brain tumor (I was told I had one year to live but God led me and we fooled them). These things have left me weak and in pain most days, but like you, I searched the word and found purpose and hope and comfort and acceptance (I’m also open to accept more miracles…any day!). But mostly I accept his love, his presence in my life, and knowledge that this life is just a vapor, and one day my work here will be done and I will live forever in a body that could turn summer-saults and dance down the streets of gold. I really enjoyed your post, Laura!

  2. Oh girl…we need a cup of coffee to digest all the nuggets tucked deep within the cry of your heart here. I thank God for your openness as many women are in the boat with you, some days drowning in uncertainty, other days paddling to Jesus who waits on the shore. I pray for the continuing work He is doing my friend, and for relief from the pain!

  3. Excellent post. I’ve suffered with endo for 34+ years and through 11 lost babies!

    Praise God – He has taught me many things through this struggle with pain and infertility. I look at Ezekiel 36:26 (And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.) … that is my testimony. My heart had gotten so hard because I wanted a baby and I wanted not to suffer.

    Now, I’m a mom (through God’s creative nature) and I’m a Pastor’s wife … I’m crazy blessed!

    I love the little rhyme “God doesn’t answer ‘yes’ to every prayer I pray. Some times He answers ‘no, My child, I have a better way!”

    Thanks for sharing, Laura!

  4. Beautifully written post, Laura! Through the years I’ve struggled with chronic pain from Fibromyalgia, I learned there is a higher purpose in my pain. It has ultimately brought me to a place where I have grown much closer to God and seek His daily strength. His sovereign grace spurs me onward even when the going gets tough. No doubt, my faith in God has bee stretched far wider, deeper, and longer than I ever thought possible. Although agonizing pain and suffering has most certainly taken me out of my comfort zone,
    Christ has proved He is always faithful.

  5. I totally understand that way of thinking. I have been battling chronic pain from an auto accident from four and a half years ago, that sometimes gets worse before getting better. I’ve been diligently praying to good to take this pain and agony away, give me a sign of why you aren’t taking this away and everybody has told me just keep praying, keep the faith that he has a bigger, better plan for my life than what i see or know and I’m slowly seeing part of his plan and that’s for me to see that i am finally with the man of my dreams my high school sweetheart, four beautiful children that he has taken on when he took me back and the ability to be a full time stay at home mom to my kids, something I’ve not been able to do until almost three years ago while my husband works to support us all while i fight for my disability and fight the insurance company regarding my accident. I’m still struggling with myself against good to show me his plan so i pray that good works his magic in both of us and takes our pain away.

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