2 Corinthians 12:9-10 KJV
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
We humans have been taught our whole life to “be the best that we can be.” Of course, that is good advice until it crosses over a line into trying to be perfect at whatever we do, or thinking more of ourselves than we should.
The truth is, we live in a society that rewards greatness, strength and self-reliance. Again, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being great at what we do, strong in body and mind and taking care of one’s problems and needs.
However, we must never forget that our true greatness, strength and power come from God.
When we are at our greatest, strongest and most self-reliant, we can easily forget that our strength and power come from our Heavenly Father. We can easily become complacent and less dependent on Him, even at times not depending on Him at all.
But, when we find ourselves in one of life’s valleys and no longer on the mountaintop, we realize our dependence on God. When we are weak and needing help, our complacency disappears, and we then turn to God to help us.
Paul's Thorn in the Flesh
Paul gives us a wonderful lesson about this in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10.
God told Paul, that “His grace was sufficient for him.” In other words, Paul needed nothing or no-one else. He only needed God and His grace.
God continued to tell Paul that “His power is made perfect, in Paul’s weakness.” “Made perfect” is translated as fulfilled and completed.
In other words, when we cannot help ourselves, we are made to see the awesome, perfect and complete power of God in our life.
Paul had asked God three times to remove his “thorn in the flesh.” It was an affliction that bothered Paul significantly and there will be more on this in another lesson.
Instead of taking away this “thorn in the flesh” God told Paul to depend upon His grace which was truly all that Paul needed.
And through God’s grace, Paul was able to deal with the “thorn” and boasted “all the more gladly” about his weakness allowing Christ’s power to rest on him.
Psalm 18:2 KJV
2 The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
We Are Not Exempt from Those Pesky Thorns
Isaiah 41:10 KJV
10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
As we go through life, most of us develop our very own “thorns” in some form or another. When this happens, we must always remember that it is not our strength or self-reliance that helps us through our weakness. It is God’s strength and power “being made perfect in our life.”
If you are experiencing something of this nature today, our prayer is that you will call upon God and rely upon the grace He will offer you.
As we deal with our very own thorns of the flesh, trusting completely in God, His grace and power, our faith and dependence on Him will grow. And there is always a lesson for us.
Forget about your strength and self-reliance and become more dependent on God allowing the power of God through Christ to be fulfilled and completed in you.
Depend on God, glorify Him with your praise and let His strength and power be fulfilled in you.
1 Peter 5:10 Amplified Bible
10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace [who imparts His blessing and favor], who called you to His own eternal glory in Christ, will Himself complete, confirm, strengthen, and establish you [making you what you ought to be].
RVH