I Will Rather Boast in My Infirmities...

II Corinthians 12 contains the well known story of Paul's thorn in the flesh. All we know about it was that it was something meant to keep him humble. (Many theorize that we are intentionally left guessing so that we can relate better.) After praying against this thing intensely, God responds by saying, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness." (II Corinthians 12:9) What struck me about this passage is the way Paul responds to God. He doesn't resign himself to his fate. He doesn't even just commit to keep serving God joyfully inspite of this.

Paul commits to boasting (v. 9) and taking pleasure (v. 10) in the infirmity itself.

⁹ And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰ Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Most of us are willing to accept the idea of being strong when we are weak. We may even believe it in our hearts and experience it. Are we willing to boast in and take pleasure in the things that are making us weak? It is something to think about. I know I don't. I still desperately want them to go away.

God Uses us When we Give Up

Here is one more powerful quote from The Heavenly Man. Brother Yun tells the story of four demon possessed men who were a scourge on a local church. They prayed for them and immediately three of them were cleansed. However, the fourth man mocked them, and they prayed for a long time with no result. In frustration they gave up, and told the Lord they couldn't do anything. It was then that God drove the demon out of that man. Brother Yun concludes that story by saying...

"We learned a lesson that morning. When we arrive at the end of our own strength it is not defeat, but the start of tapping into God's boundless resources. It is when we are weak that we are strong in God."