Daily devotional · October 20
Grace in Weakness
“or because of these surpassingly great revelations. So to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given 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 perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me. That is why, for the sake of Christ, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Paul describes a thorn in his flesh that he asked God three times to remove. The answer was not removal but presence: grace is enough, and power is made complete in weakness. This is not an easy teaching. It does not say the thorn was good, or that we should never pray for healing. It says that God can work through what we wish were different. Paul then does something countercultural: he boasts about his weaknesses so that Christ's power rests on him. We often hide our limits, afraid they disqualify us. Yet they may be the exact place where others see grace at work. Today, name a limitation you tend to hide. Bring it to God honestly, and consider sharing it with a trusted friend so that you are not carrying it alone.
Prayer
Lord, Your grace is enough. Show Your strength in my weakness today. Amen.