Devotional: Weakness
“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 12:9-11
This section of Scripture has to be one of the most encouraging sections to read. Up until the time I was in college, it was a great inspirational verse, but it didn’t resonate the way it does with me now.
In this passage, Paul is talking about experiencing a “thorn in his flesh,” which is metaphorical for some type of chronic problem that he was facing. He asked God to remove it, but God essentially responded with “no.” His reason was that His grace is sufficient and His power is made perfect in Paul’s weakness.
In college, I began to experience chronic issues with my digestive system. I was bloating with great discomfort every time I ate something, belching all the time, and feeling fatigued. I never felt comfortable and feared eating. I thought I’d go to the doctor and be quickly fixed, but it ended up being a multi-year journey of figuring out what was wrong and how to fix it.
Through this, God taught me several important lessons:
First, our circumstances do not reflect His character. He is always good, even when our circumstances are painful or uncomfortable.
Additionally, He taught me that my problems were not a result of my lack of faithfulness to Him. I used to think God was punishing me and wanted me to “learn my lesson.” What an awful way to think of God. This experience was necessary in order to weed out this wrong thinking. (I do believe we experience discipline from God through the consequences of our actions, but this scenario was not for that reason).
I also kept asking God, “What do you want me to learn? Please just teach me the lesson so that I can be healed!” His response was– the only lesson is “be.” I had the mindset that God wanted me to learn something and that this was a test I needed to pass. Instead, God wanted to teach me to be still in His presence. He wanted me to experience His love even when I was in pain. He wanted me to praise Him and thank Him even when I was uncomfortable.
Lastly, God used this to teach me that HE is the Healer. Even when I was doing exactly what the doctor told me to do, I still wouldn’t see results. I realized that healing comes in His timing. I could do everything in my power to help myself, but it was ultimately when He decided.
With my digestive system mostly normal now, it seems to be that my new thorn in the flesh is lower back pain. I used to love running, but throwing out my back three times within half a year has prevented me. It feels discouraging going through the healing process over and over again, but once again, God is using it to help me rely on Him and not in the ability of my body.
Satan wants us to have fear and bitterness when we experience problems. He wants us to dwell on our circumstances instead of dwell on God, with whom all things are possible. He wants us to grow bitter toward God instead of growing better because of God.
What are some more reasons why God allows us to have weaknesses?
To keep us humble.
It’s human nature to start thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought to. When we face weaknesses, it keeps us humble by helping recognize that we have flaws, and God is the only perfect One.
To remind us that blessings are not a result of our greatness, but a result of God’s grace.
When we experience blessings, honor, success, and privileges despite our weaknesses, it is even more clear that all the glory is His. James 1:17 tells us, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
To keep us still.
Life gets busy and our priorities can get misaligned. Sometimes God allows thorns in our flesh to literally keep us still and stop the busy-ness in our lives so that we can find our rest in Him alone.
To rely on His strength.
Isaiah 40:29 says, “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.” When we are weak, it’s His power that shines through. Especially with physical ailments, we experience how He carries us through and gives us the energy sufficient for that day.
To protect us.
I believe God will sometimes allow trials in our lives in order to protect us from an even greater trial or problem.
To redeem the situation for a greater purpose.
If you know the story of Joseph, you can see that all the woes he faced were used for a redeeming purpose. We have no idea what God has in store and how he will use the tribulations we face. We just have to have faith that He wastes nothing.
To find refuge in Him, not the world!
Psalm 46:1-3 says, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.” God is our shelter from the storms, not drugs, TV, money, food, etc.
To sanctify us.
Romans 8:28 tells us that “all things work together for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose, that for those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.” Everything we go through is for the goal of conforming us to be more like Jesus (sanctification).
To know that God’s character is always good despite our circumstances.
When we face problems, we hang onto the only perfectly good thing in this existence– God. He is the solid rock. Nahum 1:7 says, “The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.”
To build our faith.
It takes faith to trust that God is in control even when our circumstances seem to be out of control. He uses these situations to grow our faith in Him. Will we allow our faith to be wavered because of our situation or stand firm because we know Who is holding us? This reminds me of the story of Job.
To experience His faithfulness.
When we walk through drawn-out trials, this is one of the greatest ways to experience His steadfastness and faithfulness toward us. When we walk out the other end, we can look back and see that He never left us and guided us through.
To turn us toward Him.
Sometimes, when life is going smoothly, our focus starts veering off of God. But even an atheist will cry out to a “higher power” when they need help. God allows weaknesses in our lives to redirect our attention to Him.
To prevent us from becoming conceited.
Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12 that the reason for the thorn in his flesh was to keep him from being conceited. Experiencing the revelations, wisdom, and visions from God, he had reason to boast, but God kept him from doing that.
To relate to others.
No one in this world can escape pain! If we were immune, as believers, from troubles in this world, how could we relate to others who are suffering? Think about Jesus– He went through unimaginable suffering in order to relate to humankind. Hebrew 2:18 says, “Because He himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”
To experience His peace that passes understanding.
Recorded in John 16:33, Jesus told His disciples, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” When faced with what this fallen world throws at us, Jesus promised us peace.
To strengthen our bond with God.
Dealing with weaknesses strengthens our bond with God because we draw close to Him, we sit still with Him, we seek Him more diligently, and personally experience traits of His character that we might not experience otherwise.
To exemplify God to the world.
When we, as believers, have peace and joy despite our pain, that’s a testament to unbelievers of God. Unbelievers don’t have hope when they experience the woes of this world. Living our lives with hope, despite the trials, can point them to the hope of Jesus.
Take a moment: From this list, meditate on how you have seen God work through your weaknesses as blessings in disguise.
I hope this devotional encouraged you to see how your woes, illnesses, circumstances, and problems are actually a blessing. There is no growth without discomfort and without recognizing our lack, we tend to lose sight of depending on God for His strength.
Leaning on Him in our weaknesses is what it means to live by faith.
-Alina