Strength Made Perfect in Weakness
“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”2 Corinthians 12:9–10 (KJV)
We live in a culture that celebrates strength. Bigger, faster, fitter. Weakness is something to hide or fix as fast as possible.
Paul had some kind of weakness he called a thorn in the flesh. He asked God three times to take it away. God’s answer wasn’t what he hoped: “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”
And Paul’s response is astonishing. “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me… for when I am weak, then am I strong.”
Take care of your body. Train it, rest it, feed it well. But don’t be ashamed of the places where it fails you. An injury, an illness, a limit you can’t push past: those can become the very places where Christ’s power rests on you. Weakness isn’t the end of your usefulness. It might be the beginning of his.
Read it yourself
Read 2 Corinthians 12:1–10. Why does Paul say the thorn was given to him?
What weakness have you been ashamed of that God might want to use?
Lord, your grace is sufficient. Let your strength be made perfect in my weakness. Amen.