God's Power And Strength Displayed In Our Weakness

"To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 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 12:7-10 (NIV)

In defense of his ministry, the Apostle Paul confronts those who brag about their religious experiences. He states that he will not brag about his experiences because it is all about God and not about him. His physical suffering, the thorn in his flesh, was to keep him humble. God's strength becomes apparent during his admitted weakness.

Sometimes God allows things to happen to us in order to get our focus off of ourselves and to put our focus on Him. Nothing that we have accomplished could have been done without God allowing us to do it. In Him we live, move, and have our very being. He controls every situation. We would be foolish to brag about or take credit for something that God did through us. God told Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you." The same is true for us today. God has the power to get us through any and all situations. Our physical ailments, short comings, and troubles, only limit us in our sight. God is able to use us to accomplish great things in spite of our apparent weaknesses. It is in our weaknesses that He can display His strength. In our weaknesses, we know that it was His strength, and not our own, that got us through and allowed us to do whatever. We need to thank Him and give Him credit for the things that He has done in our lives. We need to thank Him for the "thorns in our flesh" that weaken us and cause us to focus on Him. We need to thank Him for His strength that He gives to us.