But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
Years ago, I started a simple document on my phone that lists all of the important Bible verses that I’ve tried to commit to memory. These days, that list is filled with church memory verses that we do together as a congregation or on the pastoral team. But this verse from 2 Corinthians 12:9 is at the top of the list as one of the first verses that I memorized because of how it caught my attention.
In 2 Corinthians, Paul mentions that God gave him a “thorn in the side” because of the amazing revelations that he’s received. The function of the thorn was so that Paul wouldn’t become too conceited or proud. Paul mentions that he asked God to take this thorn away, to which God replies that the thorn would not be taken because “my grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” We’re not told exactly what that thorn was, although some suspect that it is some kind of physical ailment, persecution, temptation, or life circumstance. I’ve personally come to learn a lot about this verse in my own life, because I’ve come face-to-face with many of my own weaknesses.
In the verse, Paul names a weakness he has (the thorn in his flesh) and he asks God to take it away. God doesn’t take it but instead says, “I’ll give you the grace to endure the thorn.” Paul responds to this in verse 10 by saying, “Therefore, I’m all right with weaknesses, insults, disasters, harassments, and stressful situations for the sake of Christ, because when I’m weak, then I’m strong.”
Paul does not run away from his weakness. He does not allow the weakness to hold him back from what God is asking him to do. He does not sit back and complain that because of his weakness, he can’t do anything. In fact, he does the opposite. He presses in to God, relying on God’s grace for endurance. Having a weakness is not an excuse for Paul. It does not mean that he stops trying to make an effort–instead it’s the opposite, he even brags and rejoices in his weaknesses, because he knows that it’s how God shows His strength.
Part of our Christian walk is understanding our own weaknesses. But an even bigger part is to commit to letting God show His strength and power through our weaknesses. Having a weakness is not an excuse to sit back and wallow–it’s an opportunity for God to show His grace by showing how we can face and maybe even overcome our weaknesses, not by our own effort but by the power of God. Be open to God showing His strength through your weakness, and be willing to make an effort to persist through them. Having a weakness is not an excuse to stop working on a particular area where we struggle. Rather, it means that we need more of God’s grace and greater reliance on the Holy Spirit to overcome the challenge.
That’s when we really see God’s strength–when God’s grace is so present that we’re able to face some of the biggest walls and thickest obstacles in our lives. As we overcome these kinds of challenges, we can look back on our lives and realize how strong God was in providing the means and the grace to overcome things we could have never faced alone. As a church family, let’s commit to this journey of growing in character and growing in God by agreeing to face our challenges and work on areas where we’re weak, allowing God’s grace to fill them.