Perfectly Weak, or, A Prayer Request

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. ~ Paul, II Corinthians 12:8-12

When I poured over this passage one morning a few weeks ago, my curiosity was piqued anew. What are my infirmities? During college, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what they were – but in retrospect I see many of those “weaknesses” as, largely, lack of perspective. The question remained: in what infirmities can I bring God the most glory?

One answer (I’m sure there are many more) has been revealed in a very real way in recent weeks. It’s simply this:

My humanity.

As work has been ramping up in recent weeks, I have often found myself feeling wholly inadequate to the task. It’s not that I don’t feel well enough trained or haven’t kept up on the issues (though there were plenty of documents I should have read and didn’t). I’ve been wrestling with this sense of being one little player in this monolithic issue of healthcare reform. Because for as big as it is, policies are also very complex, and unexpected series of events can affect outcomes overnight. And I don’t want to mess up.

This intensely humbling experience has been very good. It’s driven me to the Word, to my knees, and to others. I have had many faithful friends praying for and with me, and for that I am immensely grateful. I can say with confidence that has made me literally a different person at work. Despite pretty intense stress, I have, by God’s grace, been able to laugh, smile, and be (I think) a good coworker. I’m feeling more myself at work than I have in quite some time.

So amid all this praise, I have a request to share with my fellow followers of the Way. Tomorrow will probably be one of the most important days of my professional career, from a worldly standpoint. Of course there is a nervous excitement that accompanies that reality. But more than anything, I want my weakness in this moment – the stress, the distraction, the nervousness, the desire to look good, the franticness – to be overshadowed by an extraordinary peace and joy that can only be explained by my trust in a Savior who transcends healthcare, political power, and the whole of this world. Also, say a pray for my boss, if you think of it. He will be speaking quite a bit, including some dialogue on some potentially controversial subjects – and this is his first honest-to-goodness markup. So we both will need grace, and lots of it, to get through a potentially 18+ hour day!

I am so blessed to have so many friends with whom I can share all this with the confidence that you will be praying for and with me. God has blessed me so far beyond what I deserve in the friend department alone, and for that I am eternally grateful to Him – and to you.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! ~ Paul, Ephesians 3:20-21

Amen, and amen.