A holy paradox
Strength Made Perfect in Weakness
How this is true
Paul begged God three times to remove a painful thorn, and God said no, but gave him something better: a promise that His grace was enough, and that His power would be made perfect precisely in Paul's weakness. So Paul learned to glory in his weaknesses, that the power of Christ might rest upon him. This is not a slogan; it is the pattern of the cross itself, where God's greatest victory came through apparent total defeat.
The Scripture behind it
“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”2 Corinthians 12:9
“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;”1 Corinthians 1:27
“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”2 Corinthians 4:7
Why it changes everything
This frees you from the exhausting pretense that you must have it all together for God to use you. He does not wait for your strength; He works through your weakness, so that the glory is clearly His and not yours. The place you are most ashamed of, most powerless, is not disqualifying. It may be exactly where His strength is about to be made perfect. You do not have to be strong. You have to be His.
Questions people ask
What does my grace is sufficient for thee mean?
In 2 Corinthians 12:9 God tells Paul that His grace is enough and His strength is made perfect in weakness. Rather than removing Paul's thorn, God promised to work powerfully through it, teaching that God's power shows up most clearly where we are weak, not where we are strong.
How is God's strength made perfect in weakness?
God works through human weakness so the glory is clearly His. Like the cross, where victory came through apparent defeat, God chooses the weak things to shame the strong (1 Corinthians 1:27), so we do not have to have it all together for Him to use us.