Trusting God in Times of Trouble-Carol Hopson

God so lovingly brought to my mind that I was having a
problem with pride. I wanted these kids to think I was a
"cool" grandma and that I could inspire them and hold their
attention by my words. God rebuked me and said, "Apart
from Me, you can do nothing" (John 15:5).
As I humbly bowed my head in prayer, I gave up my
prideful thoughts and said, "I'm yours, Lord. Use me as You
choose today. I'm going to rejoice in my weakness that Your
power may be seen in me." I left with a renewed, refreshed,
ready heart for whatever God had in store.
As I started my message, I decided to be very transparent
with those kids. I told them I was having a bad hair day,
bad wardrobe day and even my shoes weren't cute…which
any woman knows ruins the whole outfit. But I told them
that I was there only to speak in the power of God, to be His
waitress. I told them that when you go to a restaurant, the
important thing isn't the server or waitress; he or she is just
there to serve the meal. The chef is the important one, the
one who prepares the meal so that you can get nourishment
from it and enjoy it. So I asked that they not focus on the
waitress but on the meal that the Master Chef had prepared
for them.
When God says His power is perfected in our weakness,
I'm here to tell you that you can't hold back His power when
you are a willing, weak, surrendered waitress. God's meal
for those young people was accepted with so much enthusiasm,
and their response to His message was overwhelming.
It led to life changes and recommitments, and I am still in
contact with a few of them, counseling them in their life
issues. This is only because the Master Chef's power was
allowed to flow through the weakness of His waitress.
Here are some important things to remember about recognizing
our weaknesses:
 By recognizing our weaknesses, we rely on God's
amazing grace and power alone to enable us to do His
work.
 By recognizing our weaknesses, we give others the
grace to fail or not be "perfect."
 By recognizing our weaknesses, we live humbly
rather than with pride.
 By recognizing our weaknesses, God gets all the
glory!
This is why Paul could say he would gladly boast about
his weaknesses! Can you do the same today?




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