When I am weak ∙∙

When I am weak ∙∙

For when I am weak, then I am strong. – 2 Corinthians 12:10

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

 7 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.

 8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away.

 9 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.

 10 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.

Mark was a ten-year-old boy who wanted to study judo, even though he had lost his left arm in an automobile accident.

He began taking lessons with a seasoned Japanese judo master known for his years of experience. Mark was doing well and made commendable progress. However, after three months, he had been taught only one move. Curious and mustering the courage, he questioned his sensei. The venerable master replied, “This is the only move you’ll ever need to know.”

Perplexed but trusting, Mark continued to train with unwavering determination to hone his skills. Several months later, he entered his first tournament. To his astonishment, Mark won the first two matches. The third match was more difficult, but soon, his opponent became impatient and charged. Drawing upon his well-practiced solo technique, Mark deftly executed his move, securing another win.

He advanced to the finals, where his opponent was much larger, stronger, and far more experienced. Mark was nervous, which visibly affected his performance. Concerned for Mark’s well-being, the referee called a timeout and was about to stop the seemingly imbalanced match when Mark’s master interjected, “Let him continue.”

The match resumed, and Mark’s opponent made a critical mistake. Instantly, Mark used his move to pin him, winning both the match and the tournament. On the way home, Mark reviewed all his matches and moves with his master, finally summoning the courage to ask, “How did I win the tournament with only one move?”

“You won for two reasons,” the judo master answered. First, you’ve almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in judo. Second, the only known defense for that move is for your opponent to grab your left arm.”

Mark’s weakness had become his greatest strength (Harvey Mackay).

Each child of the King possesses a range of weaknesses, spanning physical, emotional, or cognitive limitations. Coupled with the challenges and vicissitudes of everyday life, we often feel overwhelmed, defeated, and powerless. It’s easy to become ashamed, embarrassed, frightened, angry, or even depressed.

However, the Father uses adversity and weakness in almost unimaginable ways. Our lack of power and our weaknesses provide opportunities to experience the Father’s limitless strength.

REFLECT & PRAY

The word of God is full of seeming paradoxes and incongruities. It often defies conventional wisdom, common sense, and logic. For instance, if you want to be first, you must be last. If you want to save your life, you must be willing to lose it. And if you want to be strong, you must find strength in your weaknesses (Stanley).

Father, thank You for being intimately involved in all the circumstances of my life. Please encourage me to develop the right attitudes and responses that you desire for me.

INSIGHT

William Wilberforce, who led the fight to abolish slavery in the British Empire, was physically weak and frail, but he had deep faith in God. Boswell said of him, “I saw what seemed to me a shrimp become a whale” (MacDonald).

If our natural human instincts and reactions are inadequate, what should replace them? What should be our new paradigm for living?

The Father is working to bring balance to our lives. He slowly but surely, inexorably, molds us, shaping us into the image of His Son. The Father is working to liberate us from our dependence on our limited natural resources. He wants us to depend upon Him and realize His power in our daily experiences.

Consider what we know of Paul. He experienced remarkable face-to-face encounters with the living God. He was given unimaginable revelations, ability, and comprehension. He was invited and taken into heaven itself. The natural negative consequence of such remarkable privileges would be arrogant pride and boastfulness. To prevent Paul from becoming pompous and haughty, two very grievous and overwhelming conditions became a part of his everyday life.

He was given a thorn in the flesh. The Greek word for “thorn,” skolops, appears only once in the New Testament. It signifies something that causes severe pain or constant irritation. It can refer to “a sharp stake used for torturing or impaling” (Wiersbe).

Figuratively, it represents a sharply painful affliction or disability; idiomatically, it means serious difficulty, painful trouble, or possibly a recurring physical illness.

We do not know precisely what troubled Paul, but it likely involved some physical condition that caused pain and distress.

However, beyond the physical ailment was a far darker reality. Paul realized that a messenger of Satan was at work. The Father permitted the enemy to torment Paul. The Greek word for “torment” or “buffet,”kolaphizo, which means to strike with a closed fist, to beat, to mistreat, to treat roughly, or to cause difficulty. It can legitimately be translated as “abuse” or “torment.”  

This translation captures Paul’s reflections: “That is why he gave me a very difficult problem to deal with. It was as if a person with a message from Satan intended to beat me and keep me from being too proud” (UBS).

Paul’s thorn in the flesh was given not to make him a lesser man but a greater man.

His greatness was found in his weakness.

His perspective transformation is the model for us all. No matter what our personal difficulties, sufferings, hardships, or traumas may be, we can apply the same lessons that Paul learned and be encouraged.

“As a young man, Paul trained under one of the greatest Jewish scholars of his time. He understood the elements of the law and practiced them with great zeal. Yet when he came face-to-face with Jesus Christ, his life changed forever. He no longer viewed the world through merely human eyes. God gave him spiritual insight that far surpassed anything he had known.”

“Still, he had to be broken further so that he could be used in an even greater way . . .. Through this time of weakness, Paul learned a new and unexpected principle: Weakness is strength” (Stanley).

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

 9 My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness. Therefore, I will gladly boast about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

 10 Therefore, I am well content with weaknesses, insults, distresses, persecutions, and difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

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© Dr. H 2024