2Corinthians 12:9 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. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

      The Apostle Paul understood the ability of God’s grace to turn the deepest unwanted weakness into a strength that would bring glory to God and the body of Christ. We know that Satan is the accuser of the brethren and is always jumping all over our weaknesses while giving us grief about them. What we need to do is become greater than what the enemy accuses us of being. This can only be done through the grace and power of the Holy Spirit and a committed willingness to submit to God’s leading while we are at our weakest. 2Cor. 12:10b For when I am weak, then am I strong. We need God’s grace at all times, whether we are weak or strong, working within our hearts.

      Moses had a weakness that he felt should be explained to God. We tend to do that when we don’t want the assignment God is asking us to do. Our fears will come to the surface once we realize that what God is asking is beyond our ability, and we conclude that we will not be in charge of the situation. Then panic takes over. Then we realize that we will have no choice but to trust God through the situation, and that takes humility. Moses said he had a speech impediment or, as described in scripture, “I am slow of speech and tongue.” Ex. 4:10 But Moses pleaded with the LORD, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.” However, after Moses had encountered Pharaoh on different occasions where strong diplomacy was needed, Moses became eloquent in explaining exactly what would take place and when it would happen.

      God turned Moses’ weakness into a strength. Moses could clearly describe what God was going to do and how a great judgment would take down Pharaoh’s empire. In chapters seven to eleven in the book of Exodus, Moses explains clearly how the ten plagues will come upon Pharaoh and his people. At the end of the whole judgment, Moses stands strong in the strength that God gave him. Ex. 11:3b Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants, and in the sight of the people. The weakness that Moses had was now a strength that would also lead a nation into the promised land that God was giving His people. From strength to strength and glory to glory is how the Lord turns a weakness into a God-given strength.

      Gideon was hiding the little food he had from the marauding Midianites who were plundering Israel. Jud. 6:11 Then the angel of the LORD came and sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to save it from the Midianites. Gideon had fallen into a survival mode just to get by and try to eke out a meal or two by hiding his activity from the thieves of the day. As he worked in secret, he also had time to ponder and speculate about what had happened to the blessings of the Lord that were once prominent in the land of Israel.

      This caused a weak and poor self-image while constantly living in a state of fear. Therefore, Gideon’s response to the angel’s greeting was understandable. Jud. 6:12 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, “The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valour!” Gideon’s weakness of having very little faith left in his heart is expressed right there and then. Jud. 6:13 Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened? And where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about? They said, ‘Hasn’t the LORD brought us out of Egypt? ’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.” It was a gut-wrenching declaration of what it looked like to Gideon.

      Gideon’s weakness is being lived out by the words he chooses to explain who he is on the social ladder of life. Jud. 6:15 So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” God brings a plan and destiny for Gideon to pick up and live out. God is willing to let Gideon test the validity of the proclamation of being a mighty warrior which was spoken over him. Gideon wants to grow into the assurance of the prophetic declaration by fleecing or testing God’s word for his life. After Gideon takes on the new vision of who he can become, he moves into the strength that God gives him to become the mighty man of God that was proclaimed over his soul. When Gideon hears the declaration of fear from the enemy’s camp, he truly becomes a man of valour. Jud. 7:13 Gideon crept up just as a man was telling his companion about a dream. The man said, “I had this dream, and in my dream, a loaf of barley bread came tumbling down into the Midianite camp. It hit a tent, turned it over, and knocked it flat!” 14 His companion answered, “Your dream can mean only one thing—God has given Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite, victory over Midian and all its allies!”

      Paul, Moses, Gideon, and many others throughout history have had encounters with the Lord. God has been persistent in showing us our weaknesses only to encourage us to hand them over to Him so that He may create a strength in us that is Godly and full of grace. The Lord and He alone can do these wonders within our souls. Praise the Lord, for He is good.