I Am Weak But He Is Strong

I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

Their words cut through me with surgical precision and laid me wide open. My heart bare. Vulnerable to further lacerations from their razor-sharp tongue. Deep, deep lacerations. The kind that leave scars. Linear scars measuring from their tongue to the very core of who I am. Painful scars. Scars that may never completely heal.

Their perception is their truth. Yet, their perception isn’t the truth. Even still, their words are cutting.

In finding their strength that hides their vulnerability, they try to strip me of mine. Perhaps their true intent is to make me doubt the source of my strength. The power that enables me to endure their attacks without retaliating. The power that allows me to sob without being completely consumed by my new heartbreaking reality and the carnage left by their words. The power that allows me to love instead of hate. To hold them in prayer instead of holding a grudge.

Although my strength exists, it does not come from me. I don’t feel strong. I am not impervious to the fiery arrows being hurled at me. I feel every hit. Every wound.

The strength that allows me to not fire back is the presence of Jesus in my life. The same Jesus that offends them. The same Jesus they feel is responsible for my misplaced priorities.

My faith in Jesus Christ allows me to not be swallowed whole by the hurt. It doesn’t keep me from hurting. Your faith won’t keep you from hurting either, but it will allow you to exist differently in the midst of your pain.

Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest upon me.”

We’ve talked about Paul before. Paul knew pain. He knew suffering. Insults. Persecution. But he also knew Jesus. It was precisely this relationship with Jesus Christ that gave him unconditional and unhindered access to the power that comes only from Jesus Christ. It is this power that allowed Paul to endure the suffering, the insults, the persecution, and the thorn in his side (v.7).

It is Christ’s power that enabled Paul to live with the pain because Christ lives. It allowed him to exist differently in the midst of it because Jesus gives us a hope that is different.

I have prayed that God would take away my pain. Paul prayed too.

“Three different times I begged God to make me well again.” (v.8)

Paul’s answer from God was, “No. But I am with you; that is all you need.” (v.9a)

I don’t have an answer to my prayers yet, but He is with me also. And He’s with you.

If your thorn in the flesh feels unbearable—whether it’s grief, physical pain, fear, or hurtful words—God is aware of your thorn just as He was aware of Paul’s. He has not vacated His role of provider. He is simply providing something greater by allowing the thorn to continue.

So, if you are feeling weak and vulnerable because of your thorn in the flesh, God’s words to Paul assure us that “[His] grace is sufficient for you, for [His] power is made perfect in weakness.” (v.9a)

The wounds causing our weakness may be fresh. Deep. Lasting. But so are His grace and power. His grace is enough. His power perfect.

Let me remind us both of some of the lyrics from the hymn “Jesus Loves Me.”

They go like this…

“Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong. They are weak, but He is strong.”

Child of God, He is strong. You don’t have to be.

Truth is, we can never be as strong as He is. So, go on and boast about your weaknesses. You’ll find strength you never knew you had.