“I am strong when weak”

The passage below is a portion of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians has helped me during any difficulties throughout my walk with the Lord. This isn’t something to read once and simply retain for life as it needs to be reminded of this lesson time and again, and I find much rest once I am redirected back to this passage. I hope it ministers to you the same way. 

“Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:8-10

Although the whole chapter is a passage I often read, it is the last sentence in verse eight that gets my attention every time. It reminds me that “I am strong when weak”. We often find ourselves asking God for help in our trials and weaknesses, wanting Him to miracle us out of the difficulty we are in. When we do not experience the deliverance in the way or time we want, it is very easy to get frustrated and lose sight of the bigger picture. Even Paul experienced this – in verse eight, he asked the Lord for special deliverance three times, yet it did not come.

Paul finally realized that God’s grace was made strong in his weakness. Don’t miss this… It is within our times of trouble that we must be willing to let go of being in charge, and let God take over. In times of plenty and in times that are bare, we are merely stewards of what God has given us. We need to allow the ownership privilege to remain with Him, and allow God to carry the bulk of our burdens.

When we understand we are merely managers and stewards, we achieve the proper mindset of deferring to the Owner of all things as our ultimate guide on what we should do and how we should manage what is on loan to us. When we do this, our mind and attitude can find a most unusual, but special kind of “delight” as God’s power and grace is able to be displayed in our times of weakness and pain.

I want you to remember that regardless of what you may be going through right now, God can do amazing things not only in your life, but also through your life as you release your need of control and hand the reins over to Him. Whenever we suffer insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties in life, the grace of God will be given to us, so that He can be glorified as He provides us the strength to carry on.

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