Let the weak say, I am strong

I remember an activity in which I was several years ago, the person I was preaching said: “If you are weak, this place is not for you, you can leave”. I heared these words with indignation, because it is too arrogant to see how people think they are strong and that others are weak.

Those words stayed in my mind for a long time, not because they inspired me, but because they revealed a mentality that is far removed from the heart of the gospel. Sadly, this way of thinking is still present in many places today, where weakness is seen as a defect and strength as a requirement to belong. However, the message of Christ never excluded the weak; on the contrary, it called them, embraced them, and restored them.

Human strength is often measured by achievements, confidence, position, or the ability to appear unshaken. But God measures strength in a completely different way. For Him, true strength is not found in self-sufficiency, but in humility, surrender, and dependence. When someone believes they are strong by their own merit, they close the door to God’s intervention. When someone recognizes their weakness, they open the door for God’s power to be manifested.

Being weak in the spiritual sense has a great advantage and that weakness leads us not to depend on ourselves or our own forces for battle, but on the forces of someone much more superior: Jesus Christ. Spiritual weakness teaches us to pray, to seek God daily, and to trust Him even when circumstances seem overwhelming. It strips us of pride and reminds us that without God, we can do nothing.

The Bible says:

Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.

Joel 3:10

This verse may sound paradoxical. How can someone who is weak declare that they are strong? The answer lies not in denying weakness, but in understanding the source of true strength. The weak can say they are strong because their confidence is not in themselves, but in God. It is a declaration of faith, not of pride.

“Let the weak say, I am strong”, and of course, in the Lord we are strong, rather than victorious, but this begins by recognizing that we are weak, that without God we could even get up or do something as simple as drinking a glass of water. Every ability we possess, every opportunity we receive, and every victory we experience is a gift from His hand.

Throughout Scripture we see how God chose people who, by human standards, were weak. Men and women who doubted, feared, or felt incapable were transformed by God and used powerfully for His purposes. This teaches us that weakness is not an obstacle for God; pride is. When we accept our limitations, God fills the gap with His grace.

Many people today feel discouraged because they believe their weakness disqualifies them. They think that because they struggle, feel tired, or face repeated failures, God cannot use them. But God does not look for perfect people; He looks for willing hearts. Our weakness becomes the stage where His power is revealed.

O beloved reader, we are weak before the Lord, we need Him, we cannot think that we are wise enough, rich enough or too strong, we must understand that in each of our facets we need a God, who is strong and powerful, which supplies forces to that who has none. Acknowledging this truth keeps us grounded and close to Him.

When we stop trusting in ourselves and begin to trust fully in God, our perspective changes. Trials no longer crush us, fear no longer paralyzes us, and difficulties no longer define us. Not because we suddenly became strong, but because we walk with the One who never fails and never abandons His children.

That God, that even we being weak can be strong in Christ Jesus our Redeemer. Let us not reject our weakness, but place it in the hands of God, knowing that He transforms it into strength, hope, and victory for His glory.