New Reminders: Strength

The story of Nicodemus in the Bible, is one that illustrates the fact that there are different kinds of strength and weakness and sometimes, when we think we are strong, we are actually most vulnerable because we might be relying on the wrong kind of strength.  Nicodemus was a devoutly religious man.  He was well educated in the Old Testament and was someone who counseled others on the laws of God.  He was greatly respected and he thought of himself as someone who knew everything.  He thought his greatest strength was in his own ability to quote scripture and do everything according to the laws of God.

On page 29, of his book titled Help Is Here, author Max Lucado invites readers to consider whether faith is more like a rowboat or a sailboat.  In a rowboat we must provide our own power to make progress.  A sailboat offers power from the wind.  In the Bible story of Nicodemus, Lucado explained that Nicodemus specialized in gripping the oars while Jesus offered a taunt sail. Whereas Nicodemus fixated on what he could do and what he thought he knew, sailboat faith focuses on what God has already done.  One exhausts and the other exudes power. In other words, when we rely on our own strength alone, we can do some great things, but when we rely on God and follow His plans rather than our own, we can do much greater things because God’s strength is so much greater than our own.

Proverbs 3:5-6 instructs believers to "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths". This passage encourages complete reliance on God's guidance rather than human intellect, highlighting that God's wisdom surpasses our own limited comprehension. Sometimes, like Nicodemus, we get to a point when we realize that we need what God has offered when he sent Jesus into the world to clarify that our strength is limited, that we do not have all the answers and we need God’s wisdom and strength to get us through scary or difficult times.

God’s promise comes from, a key Old Testament verse where God encourages His people not to fear because He is with them, promising His strength, help, and support through difficult times. "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10. In the New Testament, a passage in 2 Corinthians 12:9 reminds us that, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” In the words of an unknown author, "If God brought you to it, He will bring you through it.” Praise be to God for his unspeakable strength and grace.