God's Power Is Made Perfect in Weakness

We live in a world that celebrates strength. We celebrate the strong. We celebrate the capable. We celebrate the talented. We celebrate the confident. We celebrate the successful. We celebrate the winners.

And we have brought that same celebration into the church. We celebrate the strong faith. We celebrate the capable leaders. We celebrate the talented speakers. We celebrate the confident believers. We celebrate the successful ministries.

But God does not look at strength. God looks at weakness. And He chooses the weak, the broken, the failing, the weak in the eyes of the world, and He uses them in ways that confound the wise and the powerful.

This is one of the most countercultural truths in all of Scripture. And it is one we need to hear.

The Thorn in the Flesh

Turn with me to 2 Corinthians. Paul is writing about a struggle, and he asks something of the Lord three times:

My power is made perfect in weakness.

That is not what we want to hear. We want to hear that our strength is sufficient. That our capabilities are enough. That our talents are useful.

But God says: My power is made perfect in weakness.

What was the thorn? We do not know for certain. Some say it was his eyes. Some say it was a temptation. Some say it was a messenger of Satan. But whatever it was, Paul begged to have it removed. Three times.

And God said no. Not because God did not care. But because the weakness was the point. The weakness was where the power worked. The weakness was where the grace was sufficient.

Mos1t gladly, therefore, I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

That is the turn. Boast in infirmities. Welcome the weakness. Let the power rest.

This is the opposite of what the world teaches. And this is exactly what we need to hear.

The Weak Things God Uses

And then there is this, from 1 Corinthians:

Not many wise. Not many mighty. Not many noble.

God has chosen the foolish things. The weak things. The base things. The despised things.

Why? So that no flesh should glory in His presence.

This is the heart of God. He does not use the strong because if He used the strong, they would take the credit. But when He uses the weak, when He uses the foolish, when He uses the broken, it is clear that the power is His, not theirs.

This is why Paul could say:

When I am weak, then I am strong.

That is not self-help. That is not positive thinking. That is the paradox of the kingdom. The weaker you are, the stronger He becomes in you.

The Manner of His Power

And then there is what Jesus said about the disciples when they could not heal the boy:

You faithless and perverse generation.

The disciples could not do what Jesus gave them to do. They had the power. They had the authority. But they could not use it. Why?

Because of your unbelief.

The power was not in them. The power was in their faith. The weaker their faith, the weaker their power. The stronger their faith, the stronger His power through them.

And then notice: This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.

Prayer and fasting. Those are not signs of strength. Those are signs of weakness. Those are ways we acknowledge our weakness and depend on His strength.

The Weakness That Is Strength

So what does this mean for you? It means that your weakness is not a liability. It is an asset. Your failure is not a disqualification. It is a qualification. Your brokenness is not a problem. It is the place where His power enters.

I know what it is to feel weak. I know what it is to feel broken. I know what it is to feel like you have nothing to offer. I know what it is to look at your life and see only failure, only sin, only weakness.

And I know what it is to discover that that is exactly where He works. That is exactly where His power is made perfect.

Paul said: Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast in my infirmities.

That does not mean he liked the pain. It does not mean he sought suffering. It means he understood something we forget. The weakness is where the power is.

So let me ask you: What are you weak in? What are you failing at? What do you think disqualifies you?

Take it to God. Boast in it. Let Him use it. Let His power be made perfect in your weakness.

Because when you are weak, then you are strong. When you are weak, He is strong through you. When you are weak, there is no room for you to take the credit.

That is the secret. That is what the early church knew. That is what we have forgotten.

The Question That Changes Everything

So let me ask you: What do you see when you look at your weakness? Do you see something to hide? Something to be ashamed of? Something that disqualifies you?

Or do you see something where His power can work? Something that makes room for Him? Something that leaves no room for you to take the credit?

God does not use the strong. He uses the weak. His power is made perfect in weakness.

That should change everything. That should change how you see your limitations. That should change how you see your failures. That should change how you see yourself.

You are not too weak. You are not too broken. You are not too far gone.

You are exactly what He uses.

This is the countercultural truth that changes everything. God does not use the strong. He uses the weak.

So stop trying to be strong. Stop trying to be capable. Stop trying to have it all together.

Instead, be weak. Acknowledge your weakness. Boast in your infirmities. And watch what He does through you.

Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

That is the way it works. That is the way it has always worked.