Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV) – “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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
It may be that the toughest battle with your flesh takes place between believing your strength is all you need, and realizing that His strength is all that is sufficient.
What you bring to the table is just enough of a life preserver for your ego to stay afloat. But as ego typically does, it falls plenty short when it’s the captain of the ship. In fact, its track record with respect to capsizing is perfect.
In the first 10 verses of 2 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul is transparent and raw with the tension inside of him. As he attempts to make known the deep things he has experienced with God, Paul oozes discomfort with the idea that anyone would think more highly of him.
Why is he writing these things in the first place? Because the church is being wooed by frauds. There were false teachers presenting their ministry as superior to Paul’s. He somewhat sarcastically refers to them as “Super Apostles” in 11:5 and 12:11 to make his point about the danger they posed to the church.
As Paul refers to these false teachers, he is adamant that he is not inferior to them—while at the same time declaring that he is nothing special himself. His concern was that the church he had come to love so much could be deceived by people who only cared about themselves.
The irony in Paul’s argument is that he passionately declares the wondrous things he experienced in the Spirit while completely removing himself from the explanation of those experiences in the mind of the reader.
Take a moment and read chapter 12 if you want. Paul adopts a unique writing style by referring to himself in the third person. Instead of saying, “I was caught up into the third heaven,” he writes that he knew a man 14 years prior who was caught up to the third heaven.
He even prefaces it by saying there is nothing really to be gained for him in explaining these things—probably why he decided to refer to himself this way while speaking in the context of these incredible spiritual encounters. Without specifically saying it, Paul makes it pretty clear that the only way he can boast about any of this is to speak of these experiences as if they happened to someone else.
Then Paul says the only thing he will boast about when it comes to himself is his weaknesses. The reason he does this is to protect himself from becoming conceited, as it says in verse 7.
This is where things are about to hit home for you. You are no different than Paul.
There are legitimate things you could boast about when speaking of your walk with God. You can talk about your prayer life. You can talk about when God healed you, or used you in guiding someone else into healing. Perhaps you could express deep truths from God’s Word that the Holy Spirit has made known to you.
It’s incredible that God chooses the mundane and ordinary as the epicenter to bring about the manifestation of the supernatural and extraordinary works of His Spirit.
But God values your humility and His glory so much, He is willing to allow whatever is necessary to keep you from taking credit—when giving Him honor is the only legitimate option.
In the second half of verse 7, Paul says that God gave him a “thorn” in his flesh to keep him from becoming conceited. In case you’re wondering, the “thorn” is a metaphor to describe a challenge that kept Paul’s weakness in the forefront.
God’s love for you compels Him to protect you from what will kill you from within by ensuring there is plenty of room in your heart for the only thing that will nurture your soul—His glory.
Paul goes on to say that he pleaded with God three times for this “thorn” to be removed. But three times God responded by saying no.
He tells Paul that His grace is sufficient, and that in Paul’s weakness, God’s strength is seen more perfectly. The end of verse 10 says, “For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Wow! You may not read a more profound passage of Scripture than that.
It’s remarkable that Paul’s humility can make you revere him, while at the same time compel you to see nothing but the greatness of God in the very things that elevated Paul’s ministry.
After reading that, it’s possible God will change your whole view of your own weaknesses.
Have you ever stopped to consider the danger that your strengths might pose when it comes to your dependence on God?
We often operate in environments that choose the easy path of discerning your natural gifting when deciding the value you bring to the table. In a practical sense, that’s fine.
However, in a spiritual sense—as well as in the context of ministry—there is nothing to be gained in the exaltation of your abilities, except the magnification of God’s grace that empowers them in the first place.
And the last thing you want is to miss the opportunities of being used by God when He decides to bypass your strengths in order to use your weaknesses for His glory.
God desires to make His grace and power known.
Think about what the best scenarios are for that to happen. If your effectiveness is only possible through your gifts, what place does God’s grace have in the equation? If your victories are only achievable in your own strength, how is God’s power supposed to be seen?
Consider this: when your abilities are evident, people are impressed. But when God’s power is revealed, lives are transformed.
Your mission is not to have a platform for your likeness to be visible. When we walk onto the stage for our own notoriety, God walks off.
We live in an era of building our own platforms in order to feel a sense of purpose. The momentum of your platform may increase the visibility of your gifts, but it also threatens the clarity of His strength magnified in your weaknesses.
You don’t need to elevate yourself.
In fact, look at how Paul got into this position in the first place. The platform he had been building was on the back of the persecuted church.
But one day, God stunned Paul—along with everyone who knew of and experienced his zealous hatred of the church. The platform God gave him was the result of a transformed heart.
So it’s easy to read chapter 12 and understand the passion with which Paul was clinging to extreme humility.
It’s not due to self-confidence or a thorough understanding of what you do well that matters.
Don’t take all of this the wrong way. Of course, if you have the gift of administration, you should function in that gift. If you are a gifted singer, then sing for the glory of God.
God wired you the way you are, and you need to embrace that.
It’s when your internal weaknesses show up in the operation of those natural gifts that God wants to manifest His strength in your vulnerabilities.
For example, when you get up to lead people in worship, God will empower your voice while at the same time allowing you to experience nervousness in the face of feeling evaluated. How can you become conceited that way?
The best course is to embrace that God’s strength is seen more clearly in the midst of your weaknesses.
You are going somewhere today—probably work. It could also be just to hang around other people on a social basis.
How does God want to use your weaknesses to prove His power?
If it’s boasting in your weaknesses that brings you humility and brings God glory, what can you purpose in your heart to boast about—without needlessly tearing yourself down?
Your life will be blessed when your days are built around the glory of God.
Of course, you should be faithful to the gifts God has granted you—celebrate them! But just as Paul acknowledged himself as “unskilled in speaking” while God was granting him a message to share, God will always invite you to trust what He can do through you that you never envisioned yourself doing at all.
God’s strength being present in your weaknesses makes you sufficiently weak.
By God’s grace, be strong in your weaknesses and let Him be glorified!
Reflections:
What weaknesses can you boast about because God’s strength is seen more clearly?
How can you allow the value of rejoicing in your weaknesses to operate while also not beating yourself down?
Take a moment to rejoice in your weaknesses. Give thanks for the opportunity for God’s strength to be manifested powerfully in your weaknesses.