2 Corinthians 12.9-10 NLT




The Lord said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
The apostle Paul revealed that he suffered from a thorn in his flesh. He didn’t give any hint of what kind of thorn it was, and there have been endless suggestions over the centuries. It may well have been a physical difficulty and it has often been suggested that he had a speech impediment. This would account for the fact that he was described as being a poor preacher. But it might just have well have been a emotional, mental or spiritual difficulty. We just don’t know. What is more important is that it really doesn’t matter. What matters is the spiritual lesson that it taught him, namely that God finds it easiest to work in us through our weakness, rather than our strength.
The person who is strong is tempted to think that they can do everything by themself. They have no need of God. On the other hand, the person who is weak knows their limitations and is eager to find support and help from others. They gladly welcome God’s strength. Paul was fiercely criticised for the weakness of his public ministry. As a minister, I wince at the sharpness of these criticisms; it is clear they wounded Paul deeply. He established the church in Corinth and it was incredibly precious to him. The barrage of criticisms must have been especially hard to bear. But his answer to his critics was that all the problems he faced were actually a blessing, because they taught him to rely completely on God.


It is probable that all of us will face challenging times in the future, even if life is easy and straightforward at the moment. Praise God that, as we step into that future, God will be there to strengthen us and that in those days of greatest weakness we will discover more and more of his strength.




Question: When have you experienced God’s strength in times of weakness?
Prayer: Lord God I thank you that I can look to the future with confidence because you will always fill me with the strength that I need to face any challenge. Amen

Released on 25 Jun 2022