And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

                                                                                                       2 Corinthians 12:9-10 

Paul had a thorn. We do not know exactly what was going on in Paul’s life but it was significant enough for Paul to pray and ask God to take it away. While God did not take it away, He did give Paul the necessary encouragement to continue in his ministry anyway. So while we do not know what the thorn was, we know that it did not prohibit Paul from fulfilling his purpose.

Today’s passage is God’s response to Paul and also demonstrates Paul’s attitude toward that answer. The overall theme in this passage is that God can take human weakness and turn it into strength. The Bible is full of spiritual truths that defy human logic. The last will be first and the first, last (Matthew 19:30). When we lose our life for Christ’s sake we actually find it (Luke 9:24). And when we are weak, then we are strong (2 Corinthians 12:10). This is the reality for those who are followers of Jesus Christ.

God answers Paul be first telling him that His (God’s) grace is sufficient for Paul to live in spiritual victory. In fact God’s strength is made perfect in weakness. This means that when we feel as if we can no longer go on, God comes to us and acts on our behalf. The key, of course, is that we have surrendered our lives to Christ. Consider these passages dealing with the strength and power of God:

He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.

                                                                                                               Isaiah 40:29-31 

I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.

                                                                                                           1 Corinthians 2:3-5 

God is near the brokenhearted and gives strength to those who lack might (Psalm 34:18). When Paul preached the gospel, he was not demonstrating his talent, gift of speaking, or any other specific skill that he had acquired. When Paul spoke, it was in demonstration of the power of God in his life. That is the point. God displays His power but only in those who humble themselves before Him and place their trust in Him.

So how did Paul respond to God’s message that His grace was sufficient? Paul was ready to boast about his weaknesses. When do we see that kind of declaration in this world? This world preaches the message that we should be the strongest, most talented, and best looking. It boasts of wealth and success as the means by which we assess a life. But that kind of mentality actually demonstrates a lack of understanding. Paul was ready to boast about his weakness knowing that through it he would discover the power of Christ within him.

So he was content with those weaknesses so that he could live in the power of the Spirit of God in his life. Is that the kind of attitude that we have when it comes to this life? Consider Paul’s description of his life and the realities that he endured:

Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake… 

Paul endured insults. Anyone who has been a Christian for any length of time knows that insults will come. Whether those things are spoken behind our backs or to our face, we will be insulted for our decision to follow Christ (1 Peter 4:3-4). Even members of our own family, who do not belong to Christ, might even level insults for our faith in Jesus.

Paul endured distresses. Christians will find distress in the fact that we care about the spiritual lives of those around us. While we do not have the ability to make a decision for someone else, caring about someone who is not following Christ will often bring distress. We simply want to see them come to saving faith in Jesus and their rejection of the gospel saddens our heart because we truly love and care for them.

Paul endured persecutions. Like insults, Christians will have to face persecution in this world. Consider the words of Jesus:

If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.

                                                                                                                   John 15:18-19 

The world will hate Christians because they hate Christ. Persecution, because of our relationship to Jesus, will come and we should not be surprised when it happens.

So Paul was willing to live with these weaknesses because he knew the truth about spiritual life…that when he was weak, then he was strong!