But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
2 Corinthians 12:9
Have you ever felt weak? That’s a question that doesn’t need asking! All of us have experienced situations where we are sure that we are in a position where we didn’t have enough to complete the task at hand. Either we didn’t possess the physical strength and stamina, or the financial resources or the capacity to finish. One thought went through our mind: how did I get myself involved in all of this? Why did I commit to completing this project? How did I get myself in this situation? It is as if we wondered what was I thinking?
In our lives, we experience things that will continually remind us that we are a member of the human race. Physical frailties would be one example, as well as any other limitations. There are times when we feel inferior to others and wonder why everyone else receives all the opportunities, and we always come up short. It just doesn’t seem fair! Why do some seemingly gain all the advantages and the rest of us, a bag full of disadvantages?
All of us are convinced that the apostle Paul was greatly used by God. His mark in the Church of Jesus Christ is still in effect to this very hour. In the 12th chapter of Second Corinthians Paul reminds us that everything did not always go his way. He describes that he received a thorn in the flesh. Ever since the Holy Spirit inspired these words, the church has pondered what exactly was Paul’s thorn in the flesh? Some have thought it could be a circumstance, or physical illness or some other form of distress. I believe it is very wise that we are not given the particular problem, because rather than focusing on the limitation that Paul was experiencing we concentrate on the strength of the Lord to help us in our infirmities and our weaknesses. At times I feel that I am limited and yet it is in those moments that I need to hear the word’s of the Lord, “my grace is sufficient for you!” You may feel you’re not adequate and that you lack strength and power and resources, yet God’s Word tells us, His grace is not only sufficient it is more than sufficient! I love these words: my grace is sufficient. Grace is God’s merciful unmerited favor; grace is God giving to us, what we could never earn or deserve. Wherever we are and whatever we may be going through He reminds us that His grace is always sufficient. The Lord tells Paul that His best displays of strength are through things thought to be weak. He says His power is made perfect in weakness. His power is on full display when vulnerable people with limited resources rely wholly upon His strength. Paul reminds us that if you’re going to brag, always brag on God! Brag on a powerful God who works through weak vessels. Paul says he will more delightedly boast in the power of God displayed in his life.
