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The first attribute of God we are exploring in this series is his omnipotence: God is all-powerful. What a stark contrast to our frail humanity! When I was pregnant with our first child, I was so excited for the ultrasound. At 10 weeks pregnant, I couldn’t wait to see our little bean wiggling around. But when my doctor got her initial visual in my uterus, I knew immediately that something was wrong. “I’m so sorry, but there is no heartbeat. It looks like a miscarriage.” Naturally, we were devastated. After the initial grieving, I spent hours searching for answers. What could I do to prevent this from happening again? If you’ve had a miscarriage, you know the answer . . . absolutely nothing. It’s an element of brokenness we cannot prevent.

When I got pregnant again, I faced a continual spiral of fear. While it is not wrong to experience the feeling of anxiety, the sin of autonomy was wreaking havoc in my life, and I could not deliver myself from my desire for control. God allowed me to experience the depths of my powerlessness: physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. It was during this time that God revealed to me one of the most extraordinary aspects of his character—his power to bring life from death in my soul. I did eventually deliver a healthy baby, and we were so thankful. Yet, the miracle that took place in my heart over months of pleading, repentance, trust, and learning to rest in Jesus was just as meaningful.

There are many, many things I could say about God’s power, and the entirety of Scripture points to his omnipotence. In my reading, 2 Corinthians 12:9 became an anchor for me: “Each time [God] said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” Here, most scholars believe Paul is talking about a physical form of suffering that he is asking God to remove. But the Spirit’s answer to Paul is that the nature of God’s power is upside down—his power flows through us most readily in our weakness. Wow. That’s tough to wrap my brain around. I would rather God’s power worked on my terms to relieve my suffering. Thankfully, I am not God, for his plan is much better.

In Mark chapter 5, we read the story of a woman who has been bleeding for twelve years. Twelve YEARS. I get irritated for the 5–7 days I bleed every month. Scripture tells us she “suffered a great deal from many doctors” (vs. 26). She has also spent all her money trying to get well, to no avail. When she hears about Jesus, she believes he can heal her, so she finds him in the crowd and merely touches his robe. Scripture says, “Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him” (vs. 30). Jesus’ power is transferable, dynamic, and it HEALS. He takes her suffering and turns it into peace. Yet, she would not have experienced this power unless she had been in a position of weakness.

Dear sister, leaning into our weakness is how we experience God’s power. When the brokenness of the world asserts itself—the break-up, the job loss, the illness, the grief, the anxiety, the wayward child—we remember this gospel truth. God has the power to bring life from death. Does that mean he will fix everything we want? Absolutely not. Yet, in his infinite wisdom, justice, and mercy, he will powerfully work for the good of your soul in moments of weakness. He can reach the darkest, decaying corners of our lives and bring life and light.

I pray that the Holy Spirit will guide your heart to embrace your human frailty and cling in hope to God’s power to revive your soul. We can trust that he is ready and willing to use his power for our good!

Sarah Bailey

For the Women at Grace Newsletter Team

Take some time to read these passages of Scripture:

Mark 5:25–34 → A woman in the crowd has endured twelve years with constant bleeding. She has suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years, she has spent all her money to pay them, but she has gotten no better. In fact, she has gotten worse. When she hears about Jesus, she comes up behind him through the crowd and touches his robe. For she thinks to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” Immediately, the bleeding stops, and she can feel in her body that she has been healed of her terrible condition. Jesus realizes at once that healing power has gone out from him, so he turns around in the crowd and asks, “Who touched my robe?” His disciples say to him, “Look at this crowd pressing around you. How can you ask, ‘Who touched me?’” But he keeps looking around. Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what has happened to her, falls to her knees before him and tells him what she has done. He says to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”

Isaiah 55:11 → It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.

Hebrews 1:3–4 → The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is greater than their names.

Romans 1:20 → For ever since the world was created, they can clearly see his invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

John 9:1–7 → As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.”

Taylor Lewis

For the Women at Grace Newsletter Team

1. In what area of your life are you most aware of your powerlessness? How can you lean into that weakness and embrace God’s power?
2. Your weakness is a GOOD thing because it makes God your only lifeline. In what ways are you tempted to resist God’s power, depend on yourself, and walk in your own strength?
3. Have you ever experienced disappointment when God’s power didn’t bring the outcome you wanted? How did you respond?
4. Where do you recognize God’s power at work in you? For you? Through you? Thank him for his greatest work of power on your behalf: bringing you from death to life.
5. Take some time to contemplate the faith of the woman with the issue of blood. Pray and ask God to give you that same kind of faith so that you, too, might experience his power working in your weakness.

Libby Thomas

For the Women at Grace Newsletter Team