"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT GOD'S STRENGTH IN YOUR WEAKNESS'S"
2nd Cor 12:9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2nd Cor 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Some explanatory throughs/application, and a prayer:
1. Paul is telling us about a great lesson he learned from the Lord, and it's a lesson, or truth about God that He wants for each of us to understand, and apply in our lives. If we do, we will be very encouraged during our own times of weakness's and needs.
2. First of all, Paul tells us what God told Him, when he had asked to take away this very painful thorn in the flesh. It's believed that Paul had a very serious and painful medical issue. He had pleaded with God to take it away from him. ( by the way, God has allowed this painful "thorn in the flesh" to be in Paul's life, to help keep him humble, in light of the revelations he had received from the Lord. See 2nd Cor 12:1-8
3. Here's what the Lord said in response to Paul's many requests and pleadings with the Lord. 2nd Cor 12:9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
In other words, God was telling Paul that "His grace would be sufficient" for Paul in his weakness and need. God went on to tell Paul, "for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Or as it's stated in the NLT "Each time he said, “My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness.”
4. So, Paul had come to learn this very, very, and important lesson. It's contained in these two verses, let's just take one more look at the both of them in the NLT Version.
2nd Cor 12:9 Each time he said, “My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me.
2nd Cor 12:10 Since I know it is all for Christ’s good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
You see, Paul came to find out, and so can you and I, that when we have weakness's difficulties, trials, hardships etc, etc, that God will give us His strength to get us through. Someone has said, that God is attracted to weakness. He loves to come and help us. And, Paul was figuring this out.
5. So, from then on as Paul faced, infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, He would take great pleasure in also finding God's strength to help him through. So, Paul had become content in the difficult times of his life, and so can you and I as we realize this wonderful truth about God. God's power works best in weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. As Paul said, "For when I am weak, then I am strong." And the same can be said of us, as trust the Lord.
A prayer:
Father, Your ways are not our ways. And, it's not true that "You help those who help themselves" But, rather, You help those who cannot help themselves. Thank You for Your grace, it is indeed sufficient to get us through whatever we are going through. These would be good verses Lord for us to commit to memory. Help us to learn them in our minds, and then, let them sink deep into our hearts, and become a regular part of our lives. Thank you, in Jesus name, Amen.
Pastor Bob Grenier.
Calvary Chapel Visalia.
