Thin Places

You have probably heard someone say, “I feel thin”, as in feeling weak, exhausted or powerless when faced with a challenging situation. As I thought of the thin places in my own life, the Lord began to unpack a word of encouragement.

The thin places in our lives actually carry the potential for the greatest revelation and breakthrough. In the thinness, we are at the end of our emotional or spiritual rope. We have nothing left to offer. We have been thinned out by a challenging circumstance. In these thin places, the voice of God can be heard with a unique clarity not always available when we are insulted by the thickness of success, personal fortitude or a season of outward blessing when trouble seems far away.

In these thin places, we are actually closer to answers and breakthrough than at any other time. There is less distance between us and a resolution or a needed revelation. 

When Paul wrote to the Corinthians he described one of his thin seasons and shared a dialogue he had with Jesus, “And He has said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness” (II Corinthians 12:9). The use of the word “grace” in that verse refers to Jesus personally assisting someone who is in a weak (thin) place. 

If you are in a thin place, I want to suggest something. Stop trying to figure out the reasons why the thinness has taken place. Tell the Lord you know He is present and assisting you even if the thinness has caused you to lose a measure of hope. As a result of that recognition, Paul said a beautiful contentment would enter your heart because you know you are not alone. Contentment is the breakthrough in the thin places of life.