But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and [b]show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may [c]pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me!
10 So for the sake of Christ, I am well pleased and take pleasure in infirmities, insults, hardships, persecutions, perplexities and distresses; for when I am weak [[d]in human strength], then am I [truly] strong (able, powerful [e]in divine strength).2 Corinthians12:9-10.
We are constantly bombarded with human messages on TV, music , movies etc. that we can fight our own fights and be strong in ourselves. But united to Christ we are told something altogether different.
In the reading above Paul discloses that he had been harassed by a “thorn in the flesh”. I have had a rose thorn get stuck in my finger when picking roses and it can really hurt. I wanted that thing out of my finger! The Lord used that experience to teach Paul a critical lesson about our relationship with the Lord; “for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and [b]show themselves most effective in [your] weakness.”
We had learned in our non Christian lives to fight for ourselves, be tough and strong. Yet here the Lord clearly says that He is able to work best when we are weak.
Once, going through a work crisis I started to think about how I could fix this problem myself, I thought “ I could do this or that, say this or that”, but while at prayer the Lord reminded me about this scripture. So I prayed. “Lord I am weak. I can’t fix this, I can’t change it. I am turning this over to You, so show Yourself strong in my situation.” He did. Without my doing anything but simply being weak He totally fixed my situation. Now whenever a crisis develops I quickly admit to Him “Lord, I am weak. Help me.” He does.
Jesus is Lord!
