2 Corinthians 12:7-10

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

And with respect to the extraordinary degree of revelation, in order that I should not become puffed up in pride, a serious trouble of the flesh was being given to me – a messenger of Satan in order that he should cause harm to me – in order that I should not become overly self-confident.  Three times I called upon the Lord about this in order that it should depart from me.  But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you.  For the power is being fulfilled in weakness.”  Therefore I will gladly rather boast in my weakness in order that the power of Christ should reside within me.  Therefore I am pleased in weakness, in insolent mistreatment, in distress, in systematic persecution and difficult circumstances for the sake of Christ.  For whenever I should be weak, then I am strong.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Paul talks in this passage about the “thorn of the flesh.”  I prefer a more literal translation of “serious trouble of the flesh.”  In the original Greek language, Paul seems to be talking about a specific physical issue he had.  Some have speculated that he suffered from epilepsy.  Others have speculated that he had headaches from poor eyesight after the Damascus Road experience when divine scales came over his eyes.  Others speculated that he suffered from lust.  Others speculate that he was talking about his many beatings and oppression.  Some have speculated that he was overall sickly – although I find this to be the least likely as he travelled often and a sickly person would not have been able to keep up with all the travels Paul accomplished in ministry.  Still others speculate that Paul had a form of malaria common to the Mediterranean Sea in the time of Paul.  The truth is that we will never know.  But we do know that whatever it was it was painful for Paul.  Paul prayed that it should be taken away.  Paul asked God that it be removed.  Just because we are in the Lord and following Him does not mean that our life will be perfect.  We will have hardships – hardships bad enough that we will beg and plead for God to take them away.

Do you experience hardship in your life?  Have you ever begged and pleaded that it would be taken away?  Why do we beg and plead for our physical weaknesses to be removed from our midst?

Second Thought:

Paul reminds us of a daunting lesson to remember here.  God says that “My grace is sufficient for you.  Power is made complete in weakness.”  We so badly want to be strong and independent.  We avoid weakness or even the perception of weakness. But it is in our moments of weakness when God is able to be the most strong.  It is in the moments of weakness that God’s presence can be felt the most.  It is in the moments of weakness when we are the most humble and God can be the most gracious and loving.  We deplore weakness; yet it is in weakness that God is greatest.

Why do we deplore weakness even though we often quote this verse and say, “When I am weak, He is strong?”  What does it say about our human sinfulness that even though we know God is present in our weakness we still would wish our weakness away?

Third Thought:

The end result is this.  For as much happened in Paul’s life that he could use to brag, he had weakness to keep him humble.  He had weakness to remind him that he is not invincible.  He had weakness to remind him that he is not the center of the world.  He had weakness to remind him that there is something more important out there than himself.  It was his weakness that kept him close to God, not his strength and success.

Is this same thing true for you?  What draws you close to God – your time of strength or your time of weakness?  Which keeps you close to God – your strength or your weakness?  Why is this a hard message to hear?

Passage for Tomorrow: 2 Corinthians 12:11-13