Weakness Equals Strength! Huh?

2 Corinthians 12:8

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.

Have you ever been pricked by a thorn? Ouch, it can hurt. Imagine having a thorn constantly piercing your skin. The pain would be tough to handle. Imagine still, that you couldn’t remove the thorn, no matter how much you tried; the thorn was stuck.

This is what Paul was experiencing in 2 Corinthians 12:8. There was something in Paul’s life, a weakness that was causing him pain. Paul’s total reliance on God drove him to ask God for relief.

God said, “My grace is enough to handle the thorn.” That wasn’t the answer Paul was expecting so he asked again…and again. Same answer, “My strength is made perfect in your weakness. This thorn will show you how powerful I am.”

Jesus is looking to show us and the world how powerful He is and sometimes He does that by giving us tough problems to deal with. If you are going through something difficult, take comfort from Paul’s response to God leaving the thorn, “Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me…for when I am weak, then I am strong.”