When You Feel Weak
“You are my Strength! You know all about my weakness; You understand that my strength is insufficient to handle the challenges I face. Even though it feels uncomfortable to be so weak, I’ve learned that this can be a place of blessing. My awareness of my need reminds me to turn to You— clinging to Your promise that You will supply my every need according to Your riches in Glory.”
– Jesus Listens, February 9th
Weakness isn’t accepting insufficiency with defeat, but surrendering to God’s sufficiency in victory. The world rages against feeling weak—so much that we will go to great lengths to mask, modify, or manipulate our inadequacies. And far too often we are willing participants in this game of hiding our weaknesses.
Maybe you hide:
- When the way you’re wired feels isolating.
- When your past didn’t prepare you for today.
- When you’d rather have courage than struggle with fear.
- When you literally don’t have the physical stamina.
- When you wish you had better skills for your calling.
- When your upbringing feels like a liability.
- When anxious thoughts wage daily war.
I mean, if I could have it my way, I’d only sign up for the tasks that make me shine—you know, the ones that put my strengths on display. I’d win at all that I put my hand to. Sin and temptation would be weaknesses of the past, but certainly not my present. I’d struggle, maybe for a minute, but then move into a champion’s montage, a collage of victories set to triumphant music. I’d wrestle, I’d experience the process, but I’d quickly overcome. I would never have to feel foolish or weak because I’d never put myself in that position in the first place.
You too?
In God’s economy, weakness isn’t something to be feared—it’s actually an opportunity to experience and know His sufficiency and power. All throughout the Bible, we see God’s invitation to use His people in mighty ways in spite of weaknesses, either real or perceived.
Moses, who struggled to lead well.
Rahab, who was a prostitute.
David, who wandered into sin.
Mary, who was pregnant and unwed.
Paul, whose thorn was not removed.
God could’ve chosen the uncomplicated, the ones with no baggage, those who wrestled less with temptation or were skilled right from the start. And yet He chose men and women who lacked specific abilities, strengths, or positions. Some of them had lack that was outwardly visible, but sometimes the weakness was internal and not easily spotted. And yet God chose the incapable, the imperfect, and those with unwanted weaknesses to be integral parts of His redemptive story.
Recall the Lord’s answer to the apostle Paul’s request for his weakness to be removed (also relatable, yes?): “My power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
But when I consider that God’s answer to me is the same, I object: Can there be another way? Does it have to be through my insufficiency? Are you sure this must be the answer to my struggle with weakness?
Instead, God’s answer should relieve your heart and mine when we sense our daily insufficiencies and feel discouraged. Isn’t it a wonder to discover that what we might call a disability is actually a superpower? Our God calls us not only to embrace weakness but to be grateful for what it reveals. Not simply to accept our inability to be strong and sufficient in all things but to desire God’s power and strength in place of our weakness.
Perhaps your weakness is physical and experienced through the limitations of your body. Friend, I am so sorry. Bodily suffering can be a whole other realm of weakness. Jesus knows what that feels like firsthand. He took on the flesh of humankind with all its limitations. He experienced how it feels to be human, to feel the emotions we feel, to suffer the Enemy’s temptation to sin, to bleed, to feel weak with hunger. And yet He was God’s Son, and so He did not sin.
He came to live among us, as us, so that He might empathize with us, His creation, and serve as a perfect mediator on our behalf:
We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:15–16)
Every day, you and I have a decision to make: to tirelessly wage war on weakness or to embrace it the way God intends for us. Weakness isn’t accepting insufficiency with defeat but surrendering to God’s sufficiency in victory.
What is God calling you to today that might highlight your weakness? How is He using that invitation to deepen your trust in Him rather than in yourself? Thank Him for being enough where you are lacking. Praise Him for being strong when you are not. Rejoice in the truth that when you look to Jesus, your weakness is actively leading you to the throne of grace.
Taken from The Way of the Wildflower by Ruth Chou Simons. Copyright Ruth Chou Simons (October 2025) by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson, www.thomasnelson.com.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ruth Chou Simons is a Wall Street Journal bestselling and award-winning author of several books and Bible studies, including The Way of the Wildflower, GraceLaced, Beholding and Becoming, When Strivings Cease, and Now and Not Yet. She is an artist, podcaster, speaker, and the founder, CEO, and Chief Creative Officer of GraceLaced, an art and lifestyle brand. Simons uses each of these platforms to spiritually sow the Word of God into people’s hearts, making deep truths beautifully accessible with her signature art and relatable communication style. Simons has been featured on Good Morning America, Fox, Christianity Today, and Hallmark Home and Family. Ruth and her husband, Troy, live in Western Colorado and are grateful parents to six boys—their greatest adventure. To learn more, visit: https://ruthchousimons.com. Photo credit Micah Kandros.
