Weakness and Power

Anyone who reads the letters of Paul is going to discover that Paul's body was abused by hardship, suffering, and persecution. In his second letter to the church at Corinth, he spoke of "...imprisonments...floggings, and often near death...forty lashes minus one...stoning...shipwrecked...adrift at sea...hungry and thirsty, often without food, cold and naked..." (II Corinthians 11:23-27).  In addition to all of the pains inflicted by others, he wrote, "a thorn was given me in the flesh..." (II Corinthians 12:7).  Three times he asked the Lord for relief, but it never came. Instead of healing, he heard the Lord say to him, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." (II Corinthians 12:9).  

Scholars have speculated about this thorn in the flesh.  Some have said epilepsy and others declared it to be a nagging wife.  Whatever it was, it seems to be something which caused him to experience a weakness which hindered him in doing the work he felt God was calling him to do.  There is a difference in being tired and experiencing weakness.  Sleep and rest can overcome being tired.  Weakness is not something which disappears.  It is something which greets us in the morning and goes to bed with us in the evening. 

There are times such as Paul experienced when the weakness we know is chronic and mental determination has no power to overcome it.  To hear God saying, "My grace is sufficient for you..." is to hear a Word which tells us that despite what we cannot see, God can see what is invisible to us and that we remain in His ongoing plan.  We remain in it and continue to be useful to Him not because of what we are able to do, but because of what He can and wants to do through us.  Even as we live in weakness, we know, too, that the resurrected power and presence of Christ dwells in us.