You’re never as stunned with the failures of humanity as you are when faced with your own failures. And no one likes to be weak! How often do we say things like, “I wish I was better at this or that. I wish I didn’t so constantly fall into that sin pattern. I wish illnesses or tragedies or other bad circumstances weren’t plaguing me right now.” After all, if we’re this weak, what hope can we possibly have in ourselves?
And that question right there is the basis of the lesson that God teaches Paul and Paul teaches us. We all know the mantra: trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. But even as we say it, so much of our lives are built on our own abilities. We love to feel control; we love the pride of being self-sufficient. But God uses our weaknesses to break down our structure of self-centeredness that we build, down to its foundations, so that we can truly, truly rely on him instead. What hope can we possibly have in ourselves? None—and we deceive ourselves if we try. God alone is sufficient for you, so put your hope in him alone!
But can we really delight in weaknesses? Can I really say I’m glad I fall short, or that I can’t handle the weight of the world? The idea seems ridiculous. That is, until I realize the good my weakness does for me. It shows me that God is all I need. It shows me that where my strength fails, God’s strength alone sustains me, and so I can fully appreciate and praise the all-powerful God. To give a personal example, I have battled a speech impediment for the majority of my life that makes even basic conversation difficult. That’s my thorn in the flesh. And yet here I am in a career trying to glorify God through a lot of talking. On my own, I literally stutter into embarrassing uselessness. But when I trust in the Lord, he blesses my words. Though I am weak, I have strength by the Lord’s strength alone.
What was Paul’s thorn? He doesn’t tell us, which means that it’s really none of our business. But each of us has a thorn or two (or a thousand) that make us weak. Hear God’s comforting promise again: “my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” So celebrate the weak spots where God’s strength shines through, and trust in him with all your heart.
