Sunday David preached a sermon on weakness.
Today I found this blog “The Power of Weakness” I wrote back in 2009 and have shared multiple times since.
This is an updated 2023 version of that blog, 14 years later and still learning this process of weakness becoming strength.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 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
I think we could all agree that this concept is a hard one for us to grasp.
We are talking about Paul’s infamous “thorn in the side.”
The word “thorn” is a visual picture of the kind of discomfort Paul was experiencing. We are not told what exactly that discomfort was. But it was painful, uncomfortable – something that affected Paul with every movement. It didn’t totally stop his ability to function, but it hassled and harassed him at every turn.
This discomfort was significant enough that he pleaded with the Lord to remove it.
So the thorn was there, always there. It was painful and hard and yet the Lord doesn’t remove it. I’m not sure what that does to your theology.
David said in his sermon. "God doesn’t always deliver us but he does always comfort us."
And it becomes obvious that Paul came to the place of being able to embrace this thorn as part of God’s will and purpose for his life at the time. God has somehow comforted Him as He told him no.
But Paul being Paul doesn’t just stop with accepting his lot or his thorn…
Vs 10 says “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.
Wait? What? Pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and troubles?
Ok let’s face it, as Americans we are raised that weakness is bad.
The dictionary definition of weakness is
Not strong, liable to yield, break, or collapse under pressure or strain, fragile, frail.
None of us ever want to admit that we are fragile or frail or that we will break under pressure. Because let’s face it. We all live with pressure and strain all around us. Sickness, Finances, Family, Work – the pressures mount on ALL of us.
So we are taught to be strong, to push through, to never give up.
To never let them see you cry… or sweat.
I mean let’s face it – the whole reality show market is designed to find, exploit and revel in people’s weaknesses.
The Winner is considered the strongest, the prettiest, the smartest. You get the idea.
But as Believers Reality TV is not our standard, the Bible is.
Let’s look at a personal example in my life.
I’ve been working out with a trainer for about a year now.
Would I love some aesthetic improvements? Sure but my main focus from the beginning has been to stay strong as I age. So many physical abilities decline with normal aging. As we age, we lose strength, speed and energy. This leads to many older people being considered frail. Frailty increases the risk of infections, illnesses, falls, etc.
So Physically I am doing everything I can to combat weakness. I want to remain independent as I age.
But spiritually - I cannot look at strength and independence as my goal.
The more spiritually mature I become, the more dependent I become on God.
This is what Paul meant when he said “when I am weak, then I am strong.”
I mean this is Paul. First of all I don’t normally think of Paul as a wimp or weakling. I mean let’s face it, he would have had a pretty impressive resume. He was an Apostle appointed by Jesus. He planted many churches mentioned in the Bible. He wrote 13 of the New Testament epistles. He was frequently threatened, beaten and thrown in jail for preaching the gospel. And yet he never stopped.
You get the idea, Paul is not one we would look at and declare weak.
And yet here he is admitting a weakness and then telling us that in this weakness he is made strong.
The Kingdom of God does not work like this worlds. It is an upside down gospel.
The Bible says stuff life
In weakness is strength.
In dependence is power.
In dying to ourselves is eternal life.
There is a whole series of upside down gospel in Jesus Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 5:3-10
Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Back to strength training. Building muscle involves a physiological process called hypertrophy, which stresses the tissue, breaks it down and triggers the body to rebuild bigger and stronger tissue.
But Gods kingdom doesn’t break us down to make us stronger,
God really doesn’t want us to be strong. God wants to be our strength.
Paul’s verses in 2 Corinthians 12 make it clear, in our weakness, His strength is made perfect.
It’s not our strength. We often want to be strong in a way that reflects well on us. God wants us to be strong in a way that reflects well on him.
We tend to think we should rise up in a strength that is evident to others so that others can see that we are strong in God. But the Bible never says “be strong in yourself”. It says “Be strong in My Grace”
Only in our brokenness can we truly learn to depend on God. Only that strength rooted in profound weakness through the breaking of God will have the potential to remain pure in the outworking. When we can finally empty ourselves of ourselves, and our self-sufficiency and fill our lives back up with Him. When we can admit our weaknesses, accept God’s grace, then we are truly strong.
Tasha Cobbs sings a song called Gracefully Broken. In it she says
“God will break you to position you.
He will break you to promote you.
And break you to put you in your right place.
But when He breaks you He doesn't hurt you, He doesn't
When He breaks you He doesn't destroy you, He does it with Grace!
Anybody been gracefully broken?”
It takes spiritual growth and maturity to reach a point where I want to be strong only in the strength that God supplies. Because often we find ourselves deeply discouraged by the very limitations and adversity that God has actually designed to cultivate in us strong, courageous and liberating faith.
The truth is that we don’t often really understand what it means for God to be our strength and our salvation until we are put in a weak enough place where He is our only option. At first, this doesn’t feel like a great mercy, but later, sometimes much later, we discover it was a gift of measureless mercy.
Think about it. As Christians we glory in the cross of Christ – which was His ultimate weakness – but it was also the only way we could ever obtain His goodness and power.
When we are weak in ourselves, then we go to Christ and He strengthens us. That is Grace.
So I’m weak and I’m proud of it.
I am weak also
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