"And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness’.” 2 Cor. 12:9
Have you ever thought to yourself “if I could just fix this one thing, my life would be perfect”?
We all have some “thing” that we feel hinders us from being the best version of ourselves. It might be a physical infirmity, a character defect or a proclivity; something that we deeply struggle with. We all have a “thing”. Your thing may not be my thing. And my thing may not be your thing. But we all have a thing.
The Apostle Paul also had a thing. He called it a thorn in the flesh. Many theologians and scholars have tried to determine the exact nature of it. Scripture does not readily provide any conclusive insight. Nevertheless, while we do not know what it was, we do know the purpose of it.
Just a Vessel
How often do we see God use someone and think to ourselves, “ that person is a mighty man or woman of God.” It is so easy to be impressed with the vessel. In Acts chapter 3, Peter and John had such an encounter. God used them to heal a man lame from his birth. Everyone was amazed at this miraculous act. Notice Peter’s response to them:
“Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?” Acts 3:12
The onlookers were captivated with the vessel. They were oblivious to the fact that it was God who was at work.
In 2 Cor. 11 and 12, it appears from the text that whatever Paul’s infirmity was, it must have been physical. We can infer from scripture that Paul must not have been much to look at or physically imposing. And yet the great Apostle endured many physical hardships in the name of Christ. There also was a great display of power through a person that many considered infirmed, feeble and weak.
I am sure that Paul must have bargained with God. “Lord if you just deliver me of this, how much greater works I can do for you.”
Strength in Weakness
Earlier in this series we learned that we do not possess the inherent strength to accomplish God’s purpose. Paul wanted God to make him stronger so that he could do more. God’s answer was no. He wanted Paul to live by grace. When we are strong we get the glory. When God is strong through us, He gets the glory. By telling Paul no:
• It prevented him from being exalted above measure. In other words, everyone should have realized that it was God who was at work.
• It kept him dependent and humble. Humility makes room for grace.
Humility is defined as “living in the reality of my limitations independent of God. And because of those limitations, the acceptance of my inability to accomplish anything of eternal value apart from God”. Pastor Art Wallace
Even in our infirmities God can still get glory out of our lives. We do not have to be perfect for Him to use us. We just have to be:
• Surrendered
• Dependent upon Him
Strength in Weakness Part 1
Strength in Weakness Part 2
Strength in Weakness Part 3
Strength in Weakness Part 4
Strength in Weakness Part 5
Strength in Weakness Part 6
