Today’s pearl of wisdom comes from a book by the Danish Christian philosopher Soren Kierkegaard called Fear and Trembling. The book is a philosophical reflection on the account of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22. Kierkegaard begins the book with a ‘speech in praise of Abraham’ from which this quote is taken:
“There was one who overcame all by his power, and there was one who overcame God by his impotence. There was one who relied upon himself and gained all, there was one who secure in his strength sacrificed all, but he who believed God was greater than all. There was one who was great by reason of his power, and one who was great by reason of his wisdom, and one who was great by reason of his hope, and one who was great by reason of his love; but Abraham was greater than all, great by reason of his power whose strength is impotence, great by reason of his wisdom whose secret is foolishness, great by reason of his hope whose form is madness, great by reason of the love which is hatred of oneself”.
Kierkegaard reminds us that new spiritual strength can be encountered in weakness and that new revelation can be encountered when we recognise the limits of our understanding. We can know God like Abraham if only we are willing to recognise our complete dependence on him.
Ask God to give you strength where you feel weakest.
Read 2 Corinthians 12:6-10.
