2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT
Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.
On a childhood holiday, I once found a lobster pot washed up on the beach. I launched it into the waves and watched until the tide carried it out of sight. Later my dad told me that the coastguard helicopter had been alerted to a possible small boat capsized out at sea. It was discovered to be a lobster pot, probably my lobster pot, floating in the water. That story illustrates how many feel about their life; adrift with confusion and fears.
It is a challenge to rest in the mercy of God. Circumstances and events appear to work against this.
Yet, St Paul tells me that in such circumstances, when I feel completely diminished in the midst of life, this is a place of grace. The challenge is to weather the storm and rough seas that may carry me away, like the lobster pot. Are we able to accept the hand of God in this?
I have learned some things are worth talking through, while others remain a mystery I wrestle with, like Jacob, alone with God (Genesis 32:24). It can be a lonely and painful place to be. Faith can appear fragile and at risk in this season. Holding our nerve, refusing to project our anguish onto another, usually a loved one, proves challenging.
In such moments, resting in God is an act of the will. It is to remind myself that in this very present weakness I am, in fact, as secure in God’s grace as when I sense I’m at the top of a mountain. I am weak and tempted to discard my faith and run somewhere, anywhere that offers me relief from my inner angst. Yet, if we will persevere, engaging with regular rhythms of prayer and scripture reading, however hollow they feel in the moment, we shall eventually emerge. The reason? God is faithful.
QUESTION: When your faith is tested, what is your reaction?
PRAYER: May my anchor hold in the storms of life.

Released on 8 May 2020