| Home | eBooks |
| Devotions | Podcasts |
| Articles | Church Suppliers |
| Videos | Our Writers |
| About Us | Find Church Jobs |
Adobe Stock
What constitutes a deep-felt need or sense of helplessness differs among God's servants.
Perhaps it's the unrealistic deadline or workload your supervisor gave. The church critic who isn't mature enough to meet with you face-to-face and resorts to backstabbing in conversations with other members. An estranged daughter who once again rebuffs your attempt to reconcile.
Or what requires God's intervention may be weaknesses of temperament that have come to a head, leaving you with little fuel to run on. Or the inability to make financial ends meet due to a recent proliferation of medical bills. Perhaps it's a drought of observable results in your sphere of service or some sort of delay, such as an ever-widening time gap between vocational ministry positions.
For me, it's another tense encounter with my younger grown son who has Asperger Syndrome. One verbal sparring match occurred the same week I taught leaders on the subject of conflict management, instilling doubts about my qualifications, causing me to feel hopeless concerning our relationship. Other times it's another bout of joy-sapping depression, blanketing me, smothering initiative, making routine responsibilities more challenging.
I'm learning, ever-so-slowly, to view afflictions of this sort as opportunities to display God's glory through my life and ministry. Before I elaborate on this perspective, allow me to dissect the concept of God's glory. Grasping it is essential for absorbing the principle framing this chapter.
God Is Heavy
The Bible's emphasis on God's gloryrefers to his weight. That's the root concept of the noun "glory" and the verb "glorify." God is heavy in the figurative sense of significance or importance. God insists that He created us for his glory (Isa. 43:7). The psalmist cried, "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, But to Your name give glory" (Ps. 115:1). Paul wrote, "Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31). John Piper goes so far as to say, "God's aim in creating the world was to display the value of his own glory."
Closely connected to the concept of God's glory is the notion of honoring God, which carries the idea of worthinessor deserving a return. Your church gives an honorariumto a guest preacher or conference leader, suggesting that he or she deserves a monetary investment. First Timothy 6:16 represents many other verses when it salutes the superlative value of Christ: "To Him be honorand eternal dominion" (emphasis on "honor" mine).
Weakness Is the Way
When he pays the price of mundane, unglamorous, yet vital hours of preparation, does the Bible teacher glorify God? Yes.
Does the missionary couple's choice to leave behind family and friends to go overseas honor Him? Of course.
Does the homemaker's winsome presentation of the gospel to a neighbor over coffee convey God's worth? Undoubtedly.
When we repel a nagging temptation—again—or exhibit uncompromising character under pressure, do we make the Lord look good? Absolutely.
Yet I'm convinced that it's our weakness, not strength; our neediness, not sterling psychological health; our brokenness, not stability; our inadequacy, not unflagging confidence; and our dire circumstances, not trouble-free days, which offer the greater opportunity to enhance God's reputation among the persons we meet, know and serve. A reassuring irony of Christian living is that He receives more glory through our fragility and in threatening situations, because that's when we most need Him. That's when God gets the chance to throw His weight around.
The deep roots of this claim grow in the fertile soil of Psalm 50:15. The Lord invites us, "Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me."
When we feel weak or inadequate, we're forced to trust Him since there's no other recourse. We're prompted to pray due to the limits of our resourcefulness and the press of outside forces. Then God answers our plea and displays His power in some manner. He fortifies us or alters circumstances, and we praise Him as a result. We tell others what God did. Being at wit's end magnifies His name because He gets a chance to do what only He can do.
I'm indebted to John Piper, whose comments on Psalm 50:15 acquainted me with this truth. His take on this pivotal verse motivates me to call on God when I'm afflicted so He'll get to display His might and receive applause. Piper insists that we glorify God "not by serving Him, but being served by Him. . . [We] do not glorify God by providing His needs, but by praying that He would provide ours—and trusting Him to answer." According to Piper, "The Giver gets the glory. We get help."
How should this concept affect how you perceive weaknesses, and what you do in response to a need?
This article is adapted with permission fromServe Strong: Biblical Encouragement to Sustain God's Servantsby Terry Powell, Ph.D., released from Leafwood Publishers.
 | Dr. Terry Powell is Faculty Emeritus at Columbia International University, in S. C., where he is an Adjunct Professor in Church Ministries. Dr. Powell writes a blog on faith and depression entitled Penetrating the Darkness. He is the author of Serve Strong,which helps volunteers as well as vocational Christian workers combat discouragement, persevere through weariness, and cultivate endurance for the long haul. Learn More » |
This isn’t just another leadership book—it’s your invitation to discover how Christ-centered questions can transform the way you lead and live. Packed with real stories and timeless wisdom, it shows you how to grow your influence, deepen your faith, and lead with the same life-changing impact Jesus did.
 | Kris Eldridge lives in Louisville, Kentucky and is the Local Outreach Pastor at Northeast Christian … |
 | Langdon Montgomery has served as pastor in several churches over 25 years. He now serves … |
 | Rev. Dr. Rosario “Roz" Picardo, MBA, grew up in western New York as a first-generation Sicilian-American. … |
 | Copyright © 2025 Networld Media Group, LLC. All rights reserved. |
Already a member? Sign in below.
