When I Am Weak, Then I Am Strong

Series Break

When I Am Weak, Then I Am Strong

by Daniel Carandang

Everyone has their own weakness. 

It differs for every person.

Some might experience knobbly-knees when they see their crush.

Others can't resist the temptation of chocolate. They say goodbye to their diet almost on the spot.

There are those who just can't stop worrying about their grades. One mistake reduces them to tears.

It varies.

But we share the common factor of having a weakness.

In all honesty, we don't like feeling weak. We hate realizing that we can't do everything and we fail more than we want to. Being weak sucks. 

But God tells us otherwise through his messenger Paul.

10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:10

You might be wondering where the sense is in verse 10b. When you're weak, then you are strong? How is that possible?

The world views weakness as something we should be ashamed of. Being a weakling is not attractive at all. Our generation dubs weaknesses as challenges that we should get over with. No one likes being the weakling or the runt of the bunch. We get crushed when we're picked last in teams or when people think we're the dumbest in class.

We despise what is weak and we don't want to admit that we are weak.

But according to v.10 of 2 Corinthians, Weaknesses should not discourage us. Rather, we should be encouraged and excited for them.

God has 2 reasons why He allows us to experience weaknesses:

- TO KEEP US FROM BEING CONCEITED

 Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.

2 Corinthians 12:7

Comparing Paul against 11 of Jesus' original disciples, it was evident that he was used more than they ever were. God knew that despite his pure intentions, Paul may have the tendency to be proud and conceited. It's just like having top grades in exams. When people dub you as the smart one, you can't help but smile and be proud of yourself.

Paul writes the phrase thorn in the flesh. When we're pricked with a thorn, it feels like the first time our braces were installed or when we poke ourselves with a needle. It's awfully painful! Some popular theories regarding the thorn's interpretation involved malaria, temptation. No one can say for sure what Paul’s thorn in the flesh was, but it was a source of real pain in the apostle’s life. But the objective was clear: to keep him from being proud.

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

2 Corinthians 12:8

God saw it necessary that his thorn in the flesh would stay. Otherwise, he would become proud, because of the surpassingly great revelations he is being given. Paul had the bragging rights and if he wasn't controlled, he might find himself immersing in his own glory rather than God's.

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 16:18

Pride makes us vulnerable (off-guard) “I’m exempted from this”, stubborn (unwilling to listen) “I know better”, & destitute (unwilling to repent) “I don’t need God.” Remember those friends who come to us with their problems and when we try to help them, just stubbornly don't listen to us at all? Pride deceives us, makes us think that we know everything when we don't. We think we can work our lives without God. 

Being too proud can lead to our personal destruction.

- TO ALLOW US TO EXPERIENCE GOD'S POWER

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” 

2 Corinthians 12:8-9a 

The context of this verse is: Paul was defending his apostleship. If he chose to boast, he would not be foolish, but he still refused to boast but chose to boast about his weaknesses because He knew that it was only by God's grace and power that everything was accomplished.

God knows us and our tendencies. He desires for us to be more like Him, to build Christ-like characters we need to defend ourselves from our sinful nature. This is why he allows our limitations and weaknesses to change us. We need not fear because God will never send us any challenge too difficult for us. But He will challenge our faith in Him, how we depend on Him for strength.

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 

2 Corinthians 12:9b 

- “rest”

-- to fix a tent or habitation on

-- of the power of Christ descending upon one, working within him and giving him help

When you rest, you don't wiggle or squirm away. You stay still. You trust that He knows what He's teaching you and that you have nothing to fear.

Remain humble before God and we will experience His grace and power in our lives as Peter said in 1 Peter 5:5.

Always remember that your weaknesses do not prove that you are an embarrassment, a failure or whatever the world throws at you. Think of it this way:

Through my weaknesses, I experience God's strength.
Through their insults, I experience God's joy.
Through my distress, I experience God's comfort.
Through the persecutions, I experience God's grace.
Through these difficulties, I can experience God's power.

Ain't that amazing?

Are you experiencing a weak moment right now? Don't be discouraged. Don't be ashamed. Cry out to your God and see what He can do.

Cause when you're in you're weakest,

That's when you're at you're strongest.

Written by Ashley Bernadette Petallano (c) 2013