Sufficient Grace
“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. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
As my act of spiritual worship this week, I am focused on a passage in 2 Corinthians 12:7–9 that has been a favorite of mine for a long time. I relate so much to what Paul is saying in this passage, and I, too, have begged God to remove the “thorn in my flesh” (effects of trauma) so that I could serve Him better. Let’s take a look at this passage together.
Earlier in the chapter, Paul talked about how he was taken up into Paradise and exposed to things he could not express. He mentioned this amazing experience as an example of why he could justifiably boast about what happened to him. God used him in a mighty way, and he could’ve boasted that God was using him to do amazing things, but he said that would be foolish.
In verse seven, Paul basically says he was given a thorn in his flesh so his head wouldn’t get too big…that is the Cyndi interpretation (Bible scholars everywhere are now cringing). Paul had some physical affliction, and there is much debate about what that was, but the bottom line is that we don’t know for sure. Personally, I believe it has something to do with his eyes because there is a portion of scripture where he mentions that a group of people would’ve given him their own eyes if it was possible. Perhaps it was from looking at the light of Christ during his conversion…who knows, it’s not that important.
The important point is that he sought the Lord to remove this. I can almost hear his prayer… “Lord, I can serve you better if this impediment was not always getting in the way…I can do more for you if I didn’t have to deal with this situation.” You get the gist.
I have prayed that prayer on many occasions myself. “Lord, I can serve you better if I didn’t have to deal with the effects of my trauma…please take it away… Lord, I could do more for you and be more effective if my trauma didn’t keep getting in the way…please take it away.” Those who have some limitations will understand this.
My grace is sufficient for you. After three petitions, God tells Paul that His grace is sufficient for him, for His strength is made perfect in weakness. The Bible dictionary says grace is a “divine means of help or strength.” God says, “Paul, my provision of help and strength is enough for you to do the job I called you to do.”
God’s strength is made perfect in weakness. This is saying that God’s strength is perfected or completed in weakness. I spent a lot of time meditating on this portion of the verse, and the thought that came to me was, “My inadequacies demonstrate His sufficiency.” He is the One that empowers us to do what He calls us to do. It is not because we are so great, powerful, or wise that He uses us; it is because His grace demonstrates that He is more than capable of using weak vessels for His glory.
Therefore most gladly, I will rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest on me. Paul is saying…I would much rather have my infirmity and see God work through me than not have the infirmity and not see God work. I agree with Paul totally on this point.
When we get frustrated because our infirmities are tripping us up or getting in the way of serving Him, it is a reminder to us that we cannot serve God in our own strength. His grace and strength are ALWAYS sufficient to help us do what He has called us to do.
