2 Corinthians 12:9 “And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”

Paul used to live on my floor at college, one day he was called up and shipped out to Iraq because he was in the army. His stay in Iraq was eventful. While over there he dealt with I.E.D.’s, insurgent attacks, and even artillery barrages on his base!

One day, Paul was out leading a patrol through a city when they were ambushed. A wall next to them exploded. Paul woke up dizzy and confused. He heard gunfire and saw one of his men laying down in the rubble, shot. Paul tried to rush over to the private, but his leg would not move. Paul’s leg was mangled from the blast. With gunfire sprouting up around the group, Paul looked for ways to help his comrade; he had no gun and no mobility, however. Undeterred, Paul half pulled himself and half crawled over to the man in the midst of a gunfight with insurgents. Reaching the wounded solder, Paul immediately asked a question, “Are you a Christian?” The man did not answer, Paul continued, “It is a simple question, private. Either you are or you are not.”

“Yes,” came the answer.

Paul saved that man’s life that day, but he saved more as well. Paul has always had a protector’s heart. When he was asked what he would have done if he did not get into the army, he shrugged his shoulders and said, “I’d probably have been a cop, EMT, or fire rescue.” Now Paul is an amputee, medically retired from the military, and looking for a job which he can perform.

God’s grace kept Paul alive, God’s grace led Paul to save another man, and God’s grace has been there side-by-side with Paul throughout this slow recovery process.

Paul the apostle had a thorn in his flesh as well. Often times, pastors will expound on this unknown thorn; they choose to focus on the humbleness it forced on Paul, frequently talking about Paul’s pride. Look at God’s response, “for power is perfected in weakness” This does not deal with pride, rather it deals with glorifying God! To rephrase this part slightly (AH! Heresy say some!) “for My power is perfected in Your weakness” God works through our failures to further show Himself.

Paul’s thorn forced him to rely on God’s power, not just to stay humble, but also to daily live through everything he had to go through (1 Peter 4:16). Paul lived through shipwrecks, stonings, floggings, being shunned and hated by his peers, driven out of towns, imprisoned, and finally martyred. Through all of this, God’s grace provided for Paul, comforted Paul, and grace drove Paul to further carry the Gospel.

God’s power is fused with His grace, they can be interchanged oftentimes. “For [My] grace is perfected in [your] weakness.”

Through all things, God’s grace will always be there for me. God’s power saved me and His grace carries me throughout all the bumps and problems that are caused by my failings and weaknesses. All my failings do is merely enhance and showcase God’s amazing grace to a greater extent.

My friend Paul is not going to have an easy time finding a job. He is not going to have an easy time getting around either. He is, however, fully reliant on God’s grace which will always be there for him, just like it has always been there for him in the past.

God never changes. His power and His grace is constant, just like Him. His limitless mercy never flags. The only thing that really changes is our perception, our understanding, and our experience of Him. God’s grace is sufficient for me and my weakness. I must accept my failings, and God’s loving-kindness. Through His power and His grace, my weaknesses and faults are covered and replaced with His strength and mercy by His blood so that the grace of Christ may dwell in me.

God’s sufficient grace is given us by God. This is what we can rely on to help us, to protect us, and to heal us no matter what happens.

I hear the Savior say,
“Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all.”