Kindest When We Are Weakest

I know, we may say that Christ is kindest in his love when we are at our weakest; and that, if Christ had not been in the fore, in our sad days, the waters had gone over our soul. - Samuel Rutherford

The quote is from the little book I often refer to, The Loveliness of Christ, a collection of excerpts from the letters of the Scottish pastor Samuel Rutherford. These short quotes have been a great blessing to me. (Maybe you’ll want to order a copy for yourself? Click here.)

Do you believe he’s right—that “Christ is kindest when we are weakest?” And what would that mean if it’s true? If you belong to Him, I think it means…

• When you are most vulnerable to temptation, likely to stumble, rather than watching for you to fail and preparing to be disgusted, Christ looks upon you with compassion and love.
• When you’re carrying burdens that have already bowed your back and nearly brought you to your knees, our kind Lord is not annoyed that you’ve tried to lift something that too heavy for you, but instead is all the more ready to carry the burden for you.
• When you’re depressed and sad, His posture is not impatience but tenderness.
• When you’re overwhelmed with circumstances where disaster seems inevitable, He will lead you through.
• When someone you love is struggling and you are powerless to help them, Christ is listening to your prayers and is still mighty to save.
• When you’ve done your best but it seems no good has come of it, Jesus still uses your feeble efforts in ways you’d never expect, with impact that only He could produce.
• When you’re too weak to cling to Him, He’ll never lose His grip on you.

Rutherford is right. Jesus really is kindest when we are weakest.  Actually the Apostle Paul heard Christ promise this very thing when he was feeling particularly overwhelmed and broken. Paul begged Christ to take away a “thorn in the flesh” but instead, Jesus told him:  My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9a).

Which led Paul to declare, with joy, Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:9b-10).

I never get tired of saying this: we have a wonderful Savior.             

"I Must Tell Jesus"

I learned a new song recently. Okay, it’s really an old song, a hymn written in 1893, but somehow I missed it when I was growing up. So it’s new to me.

We did a “hymn sing” in one of our church’s home groups, and a lady in her 80’s requested this song: “I Must Tell Jesus.” The sweetness of this old standard blessed me immediately.

1. I must tell Jesus all of my trials,
   I cannot bear these burdens alone;
   In my distress He kindly will help me,
   He ever loves and cares for His own.
• Refrain:
  I must tell Jesus! I must tell Jesus!
  I cannot bear my burdens alone;
  I must tell Jesus! I must tell Jesus!
  Jesus can help me, Jesus alone.
2. I must tell Jesus all of my troubles,
   He is a kind, compassionate Friend;
   If I but ask Him He will deliver,
   Make of my troubles quickly an end.
3. Tempted and tried I need a great Savior,
   One who can help my burdens to bear;
   I must tell Jesus, I must tell Jesus:
   He all my cares and sorrows will share.
4. What must I do when worldliness calls me?
   What must I do when tempted to sin?
   I must tell Jesus, and He will help me
   Over the world the vict’ry to win.

Look, if you’ve ever had heartache, loneliness, fear, disappointment, suffering, or failure, the most precious thing in all the world is that you can come to Jesus and He will listen and comfort and help. 

I love and admire and depend upon the Savior's kindness. Of course He intends that we be purified from sin. Trials and suffering are part of His plan. But even His discipline is delivered with a compassionate hand.

We don't have to be afraid to come to Him. He's already proven that nothing can stop Him from loving us, redeeming us, and bringing us home. So, when our hearts are heavy or confused, fearful or defeated, we must tell Jesus.

Anyway, whether this is a new song to you or an old favorite, I hope it’s a blessing. You can listen (and sing along) by clicking here:

He Sees Your Tears

Do you suppose the President cares what kind of day you’ve had? What if you’re really sad, or depressed, or struggling with a personal problem—do you think you could put through a call to the White House and have a little talk with the most powerful man in the world?

Most of us would never expect that the President—or the Governor, Senator, or Mayor—would concern herself or himself with our personal problems. Right? The higher the leader, the less likely it is that he or she will have time for individual people. No knock on the leader—it’s just the way it is.

That’s what is so amazing about Jesus. Spend some time with Him in the Gospels, and you find that the most important Man in history on the most important mission under heaven still made time for broken people.

For example, remember the widow in Nain? Jesus and His disciples arrived in the little town near Nazareth in time to meet a funeral procession. A poor woman, already a widow, had just lost her only son. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” (Luke 7:13)

It seems so unlikely that God incarnate would notice anyone's tears, and if He did, even less likely He would have any concern about them. Yet Jesus saw this poor widow and He didn’t treat her as just another evidence of a fallen world. He cared for the woman in her grief. Her tears mattered to Him, so much so that He raised her dead son.

Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother (Luke 7:14-15).

Can you doubt that Jesus cares even for you and me? The gospel record assures us of this amazing truth: When we are bummed or afraid or bone-weary or discouraged, Jesus has compassion. The Lord of the universe is willing to exercise His infinite wisdom and limitless power (what problem is more intractable than death?) on behalf of people no one else would notice.

What a Savior.

A Small Miracle

 A few years ago I was witness to a small miracle, another reminder of God’s kindness.

It happened while the mission I worked for was conducting training for church planters. One of the sessions was about managing your finances, and the trainer was a Christian financial planner who had once been a church planter.

I was seated a couple rows back when he walked to the podium. I could tell something was not quite right because he seemed to be having trouble talking. Then he passed out.

But the “small miracle” part was—he didn’t really fall. Even though he lost consciousness, he didn’t just drop to the ground. He sort of glided. From where I was sitting, it was almost like invisible hands gently lowered him to the floor.

We called 9-1-1, and by the time the paramedics arrived, he was conscious, sitting up, and fully recovered. But the thing I’ll never forget is the way he drifted to the floor, almost in slow motion.

Of course I can’t prove it was a miracle. But it seems a lot like something I read about Jesus recently.

In Luke 4 Christ was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum, and a demon-possessed man began to shout. Jesus rebuked the demon and commanded it to leave the man.

"Be quiet!" Jesus said sternly. "Come out of him!" Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him (Luke 4:35, NIV).

The demon had to come out—Jesus had commanded it. But a demon is a tormentor, and it tried to inflict as much damage as it could as it made its exit. It threw the man down, no doubt hoping to cause injury. A dislocated shoulder, a concussion, a broken wrist—any of these would have been a diabolic bonus as it was forced to vacate. But Luke calmly reports that it “came out without injuring him.”

Once again, I can’t prove that the Savior lowered him to the ground and protected him from injury. But it’s certainly the kind of thing Jesus does.

We won’t know, this side of glory, all the times Christ protected, shielded, defended, or safeguarded us when we would otherwise have been badly hurt or worse. But I bet there are a lot of them.

Give Her Something to Eat

Do you ever wonder if God knows what you’re going through? He’s God and you’re not, right? So how could your little life capture the interest and attention of the Almighty?

That’s why we have a Savior. He’s one of us. He knows how we feel.

The story of Jairus and his little girl in Mark 5 reveals the Savior’s compassion and His power. He raised the child from the dead, after all. Little girl, I say to you, arise (v.  41). And that’s exactly what she did.

But there’s something else in the story that makes me love Jesus even more. After bringing her back to life, Christ told those parents to give their daughter something to eat (v. 43).

That day Christ had dealt with huge crowds, a distraught father, a chronically ill woman, ritual mourners who mocked Him, and a dead girl. He treated them all with grace, patience, and infinite power. And still He was concerned that the child would be hungry after her ordeal.

Don’t you admire Jesus! Healer of hurts, Comforter of sorrows, Lord of life, and Champion of hungry, worn-out children everywhere.

When You're Desperate

A few years ago I saw a woman have an emotional melt-down at the airport. She and her little boy were waiting to board a plane.

Suddenly she began running around the boarding area, calling her son’s name. Evidently she had just discovered her toddler was gone. “Billy! Billy!” Within a few seconds she hit full panic-mode. She began to scream: “My little boy is gone! He’s two years old with blond hair!  BILLY! BILLY!”

Some people stood up and began looking for the boy. The mother continued to run randomly around the room, crying out for her son. Within a few minutes a police officer appeared, and shortly thereafter the boy was found. He had wandered around the corner and was engrossed in playing with a toy. His mom sobbed as she hugged him to her chest.

I bet she didn’t care that she looked out of control. Getting him back, safe and sound, was all she cared about.

When you’re desperate, propriety and convention go out the window. Who cares if you look like a raving lunatic, if you get the help you need?

Every time I think of that woman, it reminds me of the story of Jairus in Mark 5. He was the desperate father who came to Jesus because his little girl was near death.

Why We're Afraid to Pray

Many years ago while I was still in college I needed somebody to talk to. I was struggling with a problem and didn’t know how to solve it. I had run out of ideas and had just about given up.

I knew a Christian doctor, an older man well-respected in his church. A family physician, he had a reputation for wisdom and gentleness. Just the kind of man who could give me counsel, I hoped. While I was nervous about seeking advice, I was desperate enough that I made an appointment to see him.

A week or so later, I walked into his office, took a seat, and haltingly told him my troubles. He sat behind a big desk and leaned forward as I spoke. I was both embarrassed and relieved to be talking to someone about issues that seemed too heavy for me to carry. Once my voice broke, and I paused to get control of my emotions. The doctor smiled encouragingly.

Finally I had laid out the whole mess to him. I already felt a little bit better.

The doctor smiled at me again, and then said, “It’s obvious that you are being punished for your sins.” If he had slammed me in the face with a brick, I don’t think it could have hurt more. Even now, so many years later, I feel the sting of it.