In weakness and fear

And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. – 1 Corinthians 2.3-5

I see Paul as a man of strength and confidence and great ability. It is hard to imagine someone like him feeling weak and afraid. Paul was, however, a regular person like you and me. He had fears like we do.

I think though that he had a bit more understanding that we do. As a preacher he was one who fully realised the immensity of his task. He never took the proclamation of the gospel lightly. He never attempted to any of it in his own strength.

When I read this I hope I am reminded of these seriousness of our calling as we preach or teach or share the gospel. That task should never be taken lightly or with a carefree and lithesome spirit. It is the most important message ever preached. Paul says that he did it with a full acknowledgement of how weak he was. He was fearful, so fearful in fact that he trembled with the weight of the message.  He knew he wasn’t wise enough to do it.

But he did it.

When we are ‘afraid’ to share the gospel we aren’t alone. Anyone who takes on the task should do so totally reliant on God. Yes, we should study and pray and always be ready to give an answer of the hope that is in us, but we need to see how vital the words are.

Why? Because when we depend on us we are going to fail. Only when we rely on God can we hope that our words are going to have eternal effect.