Even in the Struggle: Power In Weakness

“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.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 

I often struggled with understanding the words in this verse. How can one feel God’s power during times that make us feel so weak, vulnerable, and even afraid?

The challenges of life lately seemed beyond burdensome. My challenges had reached the point I felt I was living a parallel life, one foot in the situation and the other trying to escape it. And while I am blessed because my current world includes people I love, it also contains circumstances I do not like one bit. Does anyone else relate? Can you check any of these boxes? Family worries, financial worries, and challenging role expectations (as a parent, caregiver, or in work roles). If you, too, are facing what seems to be more than your share of challenges, you may have felt puzzled when you first read the Scripture above. Be glad about weaknesses? Really? And the words of the Scripture were said by Paul. 

Let’s think about that a moment. Paul. Paul, who met Jesus. Paul, to whom Jesus spoke directly. And even Paul had times of weakness. He wrestled with an unspoken weakness, an unspoken thorn in his side, an unspoken perpetual problem. 

Even Paul, the most significant force in spreading Christianity of all time, even Paul had moments of trial. This unspoken misery was present whether he was sitting among his friends talking about Jesus or defending his beliefs before rulers. The weakness was present when he was a free man and when he was in prison, or when he was thrown into a restless ocean on a sinking ship. However, Paul knew that the weakness would ultimately help him become stronger.

Why Does God Allow Weakness?

Why? Because the weakness meant Paul could not do it alone. He had to rely on God to find his strength. He had to trust God in his decisions and outcomes.

We often ask God to take away our pains, weaknesses, or challenges. Even Paul prayed for God to take away the weakness.

“Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.” 2 Corinthians 12:8 

But God’s ways are beyond our understanding, and so it was with Paul. God did not provide the relief Paul asked for. He refused to take away his pain for a reason, and Paul spoke about it in the verse above. He asked God to take the pain away three times. But Paul at last realized that having a weakness increased his faith in God because he was dependent on Him. By being dependent on God, Paul was able to continue on the path God had set before him.

Weakness is Not Failure, It Opens Our Hearts

Thinking of Paul helps me to move forward in my day. I can see the smaller blessings that reinforce my own understanding. I know I have everything I need when I rest in His loving arms. God is here. God is with me. I am not facing these challenges alone. And by acknowledging this, my own faith increases.

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work”. 2 Corinthians 9:8

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