Luther had the right understanding of our relationship to God. He wrote, “We are beggars.” This statement was found on a slip of paper in Luther’s pocket at his death. What did Luther mean when he wrote this stark, surrendering statement of weakness and insufficiency? Simply this: we are as nothing without the grace of the Lord and the intercession of Christ in our lives.We humans have a natural instinct to feel we can, on our own, take care of most of what life throws at us. And the strategy seems to work most of the time. This “natural” tendency all too often results in overlooking what should be obvious for Christians, which is that it is only through God that we have/are anything. Think about it. If you are athletic, if you good with numbers, if you have perfect pitch…where did these abilities come from? They are gifts. Everything you enjoy is a gift. Simplistic as it is, this is why young football players, for example, point skyward after an exceptional play. God knows if they are living as Christians but, at least in this moment, the young man is acknowledging where his athleticism comes from.So when Paul writes, “My grace – (that is God’s grace) – is sufficient for you…(that is YOU, the individual)” he means the grace of God is ALL you need in your life to be fulfilled. Furthermore, God’s power is perfect when we surrender to it. Paul refers to this deliberate surrender as an admission of “weakness” – not a bad thing in this case. Giving up our own flailing efforts to control and manage our lives and admitting to our innate weakness and insufficiency to do this effectively on our own, are important steps in letting the power of Christ into our lives to direct our steps.
Dear Lord, please give me the insight to know where
my blessings come from and that it is a gift of grace that I have
what I have, and all that the loved ones in my life have. Help me
to acknowledge your authority over all. Develop in me the ability
to “let go” and rely on you in matters large and small. Give me
the humility to understand I am as nothing without you in my
life. I crave the peace that real surrender to you offers. I ask
that the Holy Spirit come into my heart and guide me to bring
these changes about. I humbly ask this in the name of your son,
Jesus Christ, our savior and redeemer.
Amen.