And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
—2 Corinthians 12:9

I recall lying on my bed one night when I was around twenty years of age, crying with such an intensity that it felt as if my lungs would explode. I had just gone through a divorce and was full of insecurities and the fear of rejection and abandonment. I was asking myself, Who would ever want me now after this mess? My world was broken.

God does His most powerful work when we are weak, empty, and helpless. That is the state we do not like to be in, but it is the condition out of which God builds masterpieces. We like full. God likes empty. In fact, emptiness is a necessary first step to being filled with His presence.

Being weak is sometimes depicted as something painful and unpleasant. But pain and testing can become a conduit to power. When we pass the test, we mature and become complete; we are “lacking nothing,” according to James 4:4. I have discovered that what was meant to destroy us can actually be what makes us strong and whole.

What was supposed to be a stumbling block in your life can actually become a steppingstone to your next destination with God. It becomes the ladder to your impossibilities and abundance. The test, the pressure, in your life is to draw you to God, not push you away. It is a driving force that the Lord will use to get you where He wants you. Tests and pain and weaknesses are intended to make you more like Christ.

You may be saying, “What good can possibly come out of my situation? How can God take my mess and get any glory?” It is interesting to me that transforming messes into blessings is God’s specialty. God does not communicate with us, bless us, and use us because we are perfect, but because we have discovered grace through our weaknesses.

Does your life seem like it has no purpose or meaning? Be of good cheer. It is not an end for you, but merely an opportunity for God to move, to bring order, to do a miraculous, creative work in your life. When you have nothing to offer God but your weakness and your brokenness, He has nothing to offer you except His power, strength, hope, peace, and His presence. Make the great exchange.

Related Texts: Exodus 15:2; 2 Samuel 22:33–34; Psalm 46:10; 59:16; 73:26; Proverbs 18:10; Isaiah 40:29; 41:10