I live with people who adore science fiction and so I have spent a fair bit of time absorbing ideas about portals. A portal is a doorway, gate or entrance and in science fiction and fantasy terms, it usually refers to a technological or magical doorway that connects two distant locations separated by spacetime. It usually consists of two or more gateways, with an object entering one gateway leaving via the other instantaneously. One of the earliest examples is the ‘Guardian of Forever’ in Star Trek, where a portal could be opened to any point in history on any world in the universe.
The idea was continued in ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’, where “Iconian gateways” with angular frames and ripple effects led to other universes; in ‘Transformers’, a large round ring built on Earth would create a subspace tunnel to a destination tower on Cybertron.
Many of us secretly like the idea of portals, especially those that could remove us from the trials and troubles of this world. A portal to another world, free from suffering and pain, often seems like an amazing idea! Perhaps that is how Paul felt when he prayed for God to remove the thorn in his flesh which was causing him so much trouble (2 Cor 12:8); David’s desire for the wings of a dove so he could fly away and rest certainly conveys this idea of escape. (Ps 55:6)
The portal to strength which we all covet is found in an unusual place, however. God’s response to Paul was not to remove the thorn. Instead, he was told, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ (2 Cor 12:9) Weakness, the very antithesis of strength, is actually the pathway to strength. Paul discovered, ‘when I am weak, then I am strong.‘ (2 Cor 12:10) The portal to strength is through the doorway of our own weakness, so that Christ’s strength can be found in us. We can do everything through the One who gives us strength. (Phil 4:13)