A divine principle taught in Scripture is: “God purposely chooses weak human vessels through which to display His power.” This principle is vividly illustrated in the Christmas story itself, in Mary’s response to the angel Gabriel, in Paul’s experience and in the experience of a world-renowned pastor.
God Visited This Planet Without Human Fanfare
When our Creator chose to visit this world, He did not choose a red-carpet entrance. He did not choose the temple in Jerusalem with Levites blowing trumpets and robed priests announcing His arrival. Neither did He choose to make His entrance in Rome, introduced by Caesar with all the pomp of imperial Rome.
Instead, He chose to enter this world in the humblest of circumstances—a stable in a small, insignificant village far removed from the centers of religious and political power. He chose, not a queen, priestess or starlet, but a poor Middle-Eastern Jewish girl through whom to make His entrance.
We know Mary and Joseph were poor, for when they took the infant Jesus to the temple to offer up the required offering, they offered the alternative offering of two pigeons or two doves, which was allowed for those too poor to afford a lamb (Luke 1:22-24, Lev. 12:8).
This is not how the modern church would have planned it, but it is God working according to an immutable, spiritual principle. Paul articulated this principle in I Corinthians 1:27-29 (NKJV): “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things that are mighty . . . that no flesh should glory in His presence.”
Mary’s Response Illustrates This Principle
When God needs someone to do a task, He does not choose the egocentric, self-confident person whose response is, “No problem God; I can handle that.” Instead, he chooses the person who recognizes their own human inadequacy and even wonders why God would choose them.
When, for example, the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would conceive and bear a child who would be called the “Son of the Highest,” Mary responded in awe and wonder, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” (Luke 1:34b). In other words, “What you are telling me is humanly impossible.”
Gabriel’s answer for her human impossibility was, “The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you and the power of the Highest will overshadow you” (Luke 1:35b). The word “overshadow” in this verse is from the Greek word episkenose and it means to “rest upon” or “abide upon” or “overshadow.”
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It is the same word used of the cloud that came and “overshadowed” Jesus and His three disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration (Luke 9:34). It is also the word used by Paul in delineating how he learned the secret of God’s power “overshadowing” His people.
The answer to Mary’s “How can this be” is also the answer for the impossible challenges you and I will face in 2025: The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you.
Paul Learns This Principle
Paul tells of learning this principle in 2 Corinthians 12:9b. This principle was revealed to him after he had prayed that a difficult, debilitating situation be removed from his life. God responded by saying, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”
The word “strength” in this passage is a translation of the Greek word dunamis, which in other places is translated as “power.” The word “perfect” is a translation of the Greek word teleos, which means “end,” “destination” or “maximum.” A more literal translation of this verse would be, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is maximized in weakness.”
After learning that God’s power will be maximized in his weakness, Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:9b, “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities [weaknesses], that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” It is important to note that the word “rest” in this passage is a cognate form of the same Greek word that is used of Mary in Luke 1:35 where it is translated as “overshadow.”
Paul is not being negative and wallowing in his pain. He is saying that since learning this principle, he feels no need to boost and enhance his profile. He is free to acknowledge his own human inadequacy and admit how much he needs God. In doing so, he finds God’s power being maximized in his life.
A World-Renowned Pastor Learns This Principle
In 1988 I spent one week with the late David Yonggi Cho who was the founder and pastor of the largest church in world, which at that time, had over 700,000 members. In a pastor’s conference with over 600 Christian leaders from around the world, he told of a great crisis he went through in his early years in which he learned this principle of God’s power being maximized in our weakness.
He had already achieved remarkable success as a pastor but plunged his congregation and his family into financial turmoil after making some bad business decisions regarding the purchase of land and then setting out to build condominiums and a massive new cathedral. However, an unexpected recession hit the country, and he was no longer able to pay the contractors, who stopped working and began filing lawsuits against him and the church.
With unfinished condominiums and a large hole in the ground where the church was supposed to be, people began leaving the church, and the stress seemed to daily increase. In desperation, he sold his home and moved his family into one of the unfinished condominiums.
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Then, one day, in an argument with his wife, he hit her and broke her nose. She packed her suitcase and left, saying, “I always wanted to marry a Pentecostal preacher, but I never thought it would be like this.” He hit rock bottom and climbed out on a ledge, intending to jump and commit suicide. However, a thought crossed his mind, “If you have enough courage to commit suicide, why don’t you redirect that courage and persevere through this.”
The Great Cho Died
He told this audience of Christian leaders, “That was when the great Cho died.” He laid aside his ego and went to his mother-in-law’s home, where his wife had gone. He humbled himself and admitted how wrong he had been and, on his knees, begged for her forgiveness. After much pleading, she forgave him, and they were reconciled.
He then went to church on Sunday and humbled himself before the people, saying, “Please pray for me.” He went on to acknowledge that he had brought on the terrible situation they were in by bad decisions and not listening to others, including his wife. He asked for their forgiveness and prayers. Something marvelous then occurred.
The Power of God Overshadowed Him
The Spirit of God fell, and the power of God seemed to overshadow the congregation. People began standing to their feet and saying, “We are going to put our home up for sale this week, move into one of those unfinished condominiums with your family and give the proceeds to the church.” Young people began standing and saying they were going to get a second job and give the proceeds to the church. Women who were poor cut their hair, braided it into rugs, sold them on the street and gave the proceeds to the church.
It was a defining moment. The money poured in, and every need was abundantly supplied. From that moment, the Yoido Full Gospel Church exploded in unheard-of growth. When I was there in 1988, the 25,000 seat colosseum was complete, and with other campus auditoriums connected by closed-circuit TV, they could accommodate 50,000 in a single service. Each Sunday they had seven services to accommodate the crowds. I heard Lester Sumrall say that it was not only the largest church in the world, but also the wealthiest church in the world.
Cho encouraged those hundreds of pastors to be honest with their congregations and let them know they need their prayers. He said, “My people love me and pray for me because I do not hide from them; they know I am a frail human being and need their prayers.” God’s power was being maximized in his weakness.
We Can See God’s Power Maximized in 2025
Do we want God’s power to rest upon us and be maximized in 2025? Then we must get rid of the religious facades and acknowledge that even with all our religious paraphernalia, great choirs, singers, preachers and musicians, we are in desperate need of God. His power is still maximized in human weakness—in those who recognize and acknowledge how much they need Him.
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Dr. Eddie Hyatt is a Bible teacher, revivalist and historian who has authored over 20 books on the overcoming Christian life and spiritual awakening. His book, “1726: The Year that Defined America,” is a must-read for those who hunger to see God move in another Great Awakening across this land. His books are available from Amazon and his website at .