God’s weakness will always be stronger than human strength

by Damien F. Mackey “God’s foolishness will always be wiser than mere human wisdom, and God's weakness will always be stronger than mere human strength”. 1 Corinthians 1:25 The holy men and women of Israel held fast to a dictum that helped them to remain steadfast. It was this: Do not forget the works of the Lord. They had heard of - and some had witnessed - the marvellous works of the Lord. Yet oftentimes, in periods of crisis, it might seem to them that God was no longer acting like God. The enemy appeared to have the upper hand, prayers were going unheard. It seemed like God had finally lost control. Even worse than the gross injustice of failing to recall the mighty deeds of the Lord, from Creation all the way through to his terrifying manifestations at Fatima, Portugal, in 1917 (1925-1929), is for humanity to forget about God altogether. The prophetic Russian author and Soviet dissident, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, rightly attributed the troubles that befell the world in the C20th to the fact that: “Men have forgotten God; that’s why all this has happened”: Solzhenitsyn (3) "Men have forgotten God; that’s why all this has happened": Solzhenitsyn | Damien Mackey - Academia.edu And it is precisely why “all this” still continues to happen in 2025. Will we ever learn? Grappling with the fact that the all-powerful God might cease to show mercy to his people greatly “troubled” the Psalmist who wisely “remembered the works of the Lord” (77:4-11 Douay; 78): I was troubled, and I spoke not. I thought upon the days of old: and I had in my mind the eternal years. And I meditated in the night with my own heart: and I was exercised and I swept my spirit. Will God then cast off for ever? or will he never be more favourable again? Or will he cut off his mercy for ever, from generation to generation? Or will God forget to shew mercy? or will he in his anger shut up his mercies? And I said, Now have I begun: this is the change of the right hand of the most High. I remembered the works of the Lord: for I will be mindful of thy wonders from the beginning. Perhaps no one more so than the prophet Job, a “righteous” man, wondered and grappled in his great affliction why the good got belted while the wicked appeared to sail through life (Job 21:5-9): Look at me and be appalled; clap your hand over your mouth. When I think about this, I am terrified; trembling seizes my body. Why do the wicked live on, growing old and increasing in power? They see their children established around them, their offspring before their eyes. Their homes are safe and free from fear; the rod of God is not on them. Basically, we are talking about the perennial Problem of Evil that has been a stumbling block preventing so many from turning to God. We often hear it uttered: If God is so good and all-powerful how come there is so much evil and suffering in the world? Again Job, now in his guise as the prophet Habakkuk (see): Magi were not necessarily astronomers or astrologers (3) Magi were not necessarily astronomers or astrologers | Damien Mackey - Academia.edu wonders why God no longer seems to be acting like God: https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/habakkuk/#:~:text=This%20is%20a%20central%20question,with%20evil%20in%20every%20generation. Is God really good if the world is so unjust? This is a central question the prophet Habakkuk wrestles with. He calls out to God asking him to deal with human evil, but he is angry when God doesn’t deal with unjust nations in the way that Habakkuk thinks he should. God reminds the prophet that God will deal with evil in every generation. We can continue to trust his timing and plan as we remain faithful to him. God Hears Our Lament Unlike other prophetic books that offer warnings of judgment against corrupt nations, the book of Habakkuk is a compilation of the prophet's laments. Habakkuk questions God's goodness because he sees so much injustice, evil, and tragedy in the world. See how Habakkuk brings his concern, and even anger, before God in his desire to see Israel restored and human evil defeated. Habakkuk had not forgotten what God was capable of doing on behalf of Israel. For he remembered the mighty works of the Lord: the Exodus, the manifestations at Sinai, and the Joshuan Miracle of the Sun. He begs the Lord to do the same again in his day (Habakkuk 3:2-15): Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy. God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. His glory covered the heavens and his praise filled the earth. His splendor was like the sunrise; rays flashed from his hand, where his power was hidden. Plague went before him; pestilence followed his steps. He stood, and shook the earth; he looked, and made the nations tremble. The ancient mountains crumbled and the age-old hills collapsed— but he marches on forever. I saw the tents of Cushan in distress, the dwellings of Midian in anguish. Were you angry with the rivers, Lord? Was your wrath against the streams? Did you rage against the sea when you rode your horses and your chariots to victory? You uncovered your bow, you called for many arrows. You split the earth with rivers; the mountains saw you and writhed. Torrents of water swept by; the deep roared and lifted its waves on high. Sun and moon stood still in the heavens at the glint of your flying arrows, at the lightning of your flashing spear. In wrath you strode through the earth and in anger you threshed the nations. You came out to deliver your people, to save your anointed one. You crushed the leader of the land of wickedness, you stripped him from head to foot. With his own spear you pierced his head when his warriors stormed out to scatter us, gloating as though about to devour the wretched who were in hiding. You trampled the sea with your horses, churning the great waters. Magnificent stuff! But even when God does not appear to be doing any mighty deeds, and may seem even to have lost control, like the terrible Crucifixion incident, He is totally in control, manipulating nations to his own ends and purposes while these imagine that it is their power that controls cosmic events (cf. Isaiah 10:5-34). As pope Francis has encouragingly noted: Even in times of darkness, God is there (2) Even in times of darkness, God is there “Having faith means, in the midst of the storm, keeping your heart turned to God, to his love, to his tenderness as a Father. Jesus wanted to teach this to Peter and his disciples, and also to us today, in moments of darkness, moments of storms”. Speaking from a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square, he said “even before we begin to seek Him, He is present beside us lifting us back up after our falls, He helps us grow in faith.” “Perhaps we, in the dark, cry out: ‘Lord! Lord!’ thinking that he is far away. And He says: ‘I’m here!’ Ah, he was with me!” Pope Francis continued. “God knows well that our faith is poor and that our path can be troubled, blocked by adverse forces. But He is the Risen One, do not forget this, the Lord who went through death to bring us to safety.”