God has chosen the weak things.
God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty (1 Corinthians 1:27).
The book “The London Sparrow” is about the housemaid Gladys Aylward who became a missionary in China. She failed her introductory course in preparation for full training for the mission field. Her hopes were dashed. But she was convinced God had called her to China. She spent all her savings and travelled alone on the Trans-Siberian Railway to present herself to the mission in China. The story of that journey is a remarkable story in itself of faith, determination and courage. She worked in China throughout the Second World War. During this time she recalled when the Japanese bombed the area where she lived. After a long and exhausting day helping people in her battered and frightened community, she walked wearily home. Coming to the street where her house was, she saw it was destroyed, only one wall still standing. She fell to her knees and wept uncontrollably. She was physically, emotionally and spiritually drained. When she had composed herself, she noticed a card attached to the wall of her house, blowing in the wind. She went across to read it: “God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty” (1 Corinthians 1:27). Her tears were no longer tears of distress, but of the joy of knowing the Lord was with her in her pain.
There are times in our lives when we are overwhelmed by circumstances. We feel we have given all that we can; then one more event engulfs us. These circumstances are real, they challenge our faith, and we struggle to understand them. We are living in the present time in a crisis that has confounded the whole world. We sense the reality of our weakness.
How does God express His heart towards us? He does it through the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. His love and grace are seen in the glory of His lowliness and His journey into our circumstances. Paul writes that we know “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). In this verse, Paul gives the Lord Jesus His full title, reminding us of His Person and His power. But then in the most compelling way, he reminds us of the poverty through which His Person and power are known. He became weak – “I thirst” – so that He could demonstrate the power of His love – “It is finished”.
During the same world war in London, a pregnant young woman stood beside her bombed home in the city. Like Gladys Aylward, she was overcome by distress. A lady came alongside her to try and comfort her. After a little while, a man approached to explain that it was time to go. As the lady said goodbye, the young woman realised her comforter was the Queen, the mother of our present Queen. We cannot always explain our circumstances. But we can experience the presence of the Lord through His word, His abiding Holy Spirit and our brothers and sisters in the fellowship of life, which is His Church. Tears and pain are real, and so are faith and hope. Tears will be wiped away, and one day there will be no more pain. Faith and hope will be fulfilled by God’s eternal love that does not fail.
