Today’s devotion is based on “Grace”, the eight track from Laura Story’s major label debut, Great God Who Saves.

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Grace
2 Corinthians 12: 9, 10

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

I remember the first time Shane leaned over to me and said, “Why don’t you sing this one?” I was playing electric bass with a band that I had joined in college. Though I didn’t mind playing in front of crowds, singing was a different story. I had a pretty good ear and knew enough about music to recognize that my voice didn’t exactly match up with the ones I would hear on the radio. After singing as a little kid in some church musicals, I had decided that vocals weren’t really my thing.

But the opportunities didn’t seem to stop there. God began to fill my heart and mind with tunes and lyrics. Yet as I continued to be asked to sing at various gatherings, the more uncomfortable I became. One day a friend asked me why I disliked singing in front of people. Being the first time I had really thought about it, I gave the most honest answer I could think of. “I don’t like to because there are so many other singers out there who are better than me.”

There. I had said it. And that’s when my friend went in for the kill. “But what if God were calling you to do something, knowing that you aren’t the best and probably never will be, for the sole purpose of His receiving all the glory?” This had never really crossed my mind, having always been so concerned with achieving excellence in everything I did. As I continued to ponder His question, the more I was faced with the ugliness in my own heart and my unquenchable desire to be the best. The more I surveyed my perceived “vocal” weakness, the more I realized that the greater weakness in God’s eyes was my own pride. What if God was intentionally inviting me to operate from a place of personal weakness in order for His power to be displayed all the more?

Still struggling with these questions, I began to feel God moving my heart toward becoming a singer (It still feels weird to use that term referring to myself!). Though I have made drastic improvement over the years, I still consider my voice to be neither strong nor flashy but rather functional. Yet God considers it perfect… perfect for the plan He has designed for my life and perfect for His power to be displayed in my weakness.

Lord, help me learn to see myself as You see me and to embrace each task set before me as opportunities to show Your power.