When Weakness is Strong!

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"Even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

If you remember Paul was writing this letter to the Corinthians for a couple of reasons. One is that since they experienced so many of the supernatural gifts like speaking in tongues, they began to get spiritually prideful. They started to judge other people in their midst based on whether they spoke in tongues or not. 

Paul certainly, as we read in this passage, had his own extraordinary experiences, where he describes that through a revelation from God he was taken up to the third heaven. What is the third heaven? 

The third heaven doesn’t suggest different “levels” of heaven (although this is what some ancient Jewish Rabbis believed). Instead, Paul is using terminology common in that day, which referred to the “blue sky” as the first heaven, the “starry sky” as the second heaven, and the place where God lived and reigned as the third heaven.

But to keep him from getting prideful about this experience, he describes being given a "thorn in the flesh" by God. There have many attempts to explain what this is, but none of them seem particularly conclusive. The word "flesh" usually refers to our "sinful nature". Usually something in us that keeps plaguing us and beating us down. It is one of those sins you just feel powerless over and have to keep confessing it over and over again. So it could mean a lot of different things to alot of different people. And I think that is the point! My thorn in the flesh is different from yours and visa versa! 

But the bottom line is that Paul learned something very valuable, as he struggled with HIS thorn in the flesh. He could not beat it on his own power. In the flesh he was powerless to do anything about it. And in this sense it humbled him. But the Good News was that by being weak and powerless, it enabled Paul to completely depend on God for the help he needed. It is a paradox when he says, "So I am not glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that power of Christ can work through me."

When we are at our weakest point we need the most faith, because we have no natural or inherent power to overcome what we are struggling with. But the Good News is that is when we can rely on God when see so clearly power of God working through even our weaknesses. This is why the Lord told him, "My grace is all you need!"

Where do you need God's all sufficient grace today? Where are you weak? Where are you beaten down? Where are you at the end of your rope? It is in these moments that God does not leave or forsake you, but He is your ever present help in time of need!  

Jesus suffered every kind of temptation we do as human beings, so he can help us with anything we are going through, at anytime we need him!  Praise God!