Article by Lori Mullwee Sealy - Precious, Anointed Young Lady - Her Mother is Dolores Mullwee - Also Precious

 Lori Mullwee Sealy

February 18 at 9:46 AM ·

Weakness!

In a couple of weeks I’m speaking and leading worship at a conference where “weakness” will be a key theme of discussion.

We’ll look at how we’re described as “jars of clay” - vessels of important purpose, but vessels that can easily crack.

I don’t know about you, but I find myself rather regularly to be a cracked pot!

The good news in all of this is that we are assured that *God’s grace is sufficient for us in our weakness* - and that His grace shines most unmistakably amidst it, because His “power is made perfect in weakness.”

This morning I was reading a letter of one of my favorite old pastors - John Newton (author of Amazing Grace).

In that letter he’s discussing human weakness - particularly how it relates to our battles against temptation …

To all kinds of temptations.

Temptations big.

Temptations (supposedly) small.

He reminds the unnamed nobleman he’s corresponding with of Jesus’ words:

“Watch and pray, that you enter not into temptation: the spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak.”

And then he writes this:

“Our Lord, who knows and considers our weakness, (weakness of which we are so little aware) directs us to pray: ‘Lead us not into temptation.’

We are not to expect an absolute freedom from temptation in this life; we are called to be soldiers, and must sometimes meet with enemies, and perhaps even with wounds. Yet, this prayer is provided by Him who knows

what we are,

where we are,

how weak we are,

and affords us instruction and consolation.

This prayer calls us to a constant reflection upon our own weakness.

We are prone to rest too much on grace received and errantly assume our own inner strength. Like Peter, we can be ready to plunge ourselves into places without accurately assessing the outcome, assuming our ability without understanding our inability.

We must not be high-minded, but sober-minded, praying that we may be kept from learning the hard way, as Peter, how weak our supposed strength actually is.

This prayer sweetly intimates to us that all our ways and all our enemies are in the hands of our great Shepherd.

*He* knows our path in perfection.

*We* are short-sighted, and cannot tell what an hour may bring forth:

but we are under His protection;

and if we depend upon Him,

we need not be anxiously afraid.

He will be faithful to the trust we repose to Him, and will suffer no temptation to overtake us, but what He will support us under and bring us through.

But it becomes us to beware of false security and presumption, to keep our eyes upon Him and not to think ourselves safe (even from ourselves) a moment longer than our spirits feel and breathe the meaning of this petition.

It implies, likewise, the duty of watchfulness on our part. We must “WATCH and pray.”

If we desire not to be led into temptation, surely we must not run into it!

And though we cannot wholly shut Satan out of our imaginations, we should be cautious that we do not willfully provide fuel for his flame; but entreat our Lord to set a guard upon our eyes and our ears, and to teach us to reject even the first motions and the smallest appearances of evil.”

-John Newton

(Cardiphonia, Letter to a Nobleman)

Yeah!

That’s a word I need to heed.

How thankful I am for a strong Savior who guards and guides a weak me.

Selah.

(I’m including a favorite hymn translation of Catherine Winkworth’s that corresponds to this topic in the comments.)