When Weakness Becomes Strength
Concerning this thing, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 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. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in need, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” - 2 Corinthians 12:8-10
Paul didn’t just pray once - he pleaded with the Lord. And yet, God’s answer was not deliverance, but grace. Sometimes, when we don’t get the answer we want, we assume God is silent. But here, God wasn’t silent - He was giving a greater gift than what Paul was even asking for. In essence, God says, “I’m not going to take it away. But I will give you something better. My grace.” And that grace was enough. More than enough. And that should encourage us, because when we don’t get the answer we hoped for, it doesn’t mean God hasn’t answered - it may mean He’s answering in a deeper way.
God’s grace is unmerited favor - it’s God’s active pleasure, approval, and presence in our lives. Grace means:
God is for you, not against you
You are not disqualified when you stumble
You are fully accepted, not barely tolerated.
And Grace doesn’t run dry. It’s available all the time - it’s not based on our performance, but on Jesus. When we fall short, grace rises to meet us. That’s why Paul says, “When I am weak, then I am strong.”
What does it mean that God’s strength is made perfect in weakness? It means that our need becomes the doorway to His power. His grace meets our insufficiency, not our self-sufficiency.
We tend to associate strength with independence - but in the Kingdom, the opposite is true. The more spiritually mature we become, the more we cling to Jesus. Like Paul, we learn that weakness isn’t a failure - it’s an opportunity for God’s power in our life.
In Ezekiel 29:6-7, God rebukes Egypt for being a “staff of reed” - a false support system that breaks and pierces the hand that leans on it. That’s what it’s like when we try to face life in our own strength. It might seem solid for a while, but eventually it splinters - and the damage is worse.
Self-reliance isn’t strength. It’s a trap.
But God-reliance? That’s where the true strength lives.
What does it look like to rely on grace?
Practically: it means bringing your weakness, sin, shame, struggle, and asking Him to meet you there - not to fix it first, not to hide it.
Emotionally: it means believing, even when you feel unworthy, that you are fully loved and accepted in Christ.
Spiritually: it means realizing that every moment of your life is lived under God’s favor - not because you’re strong, but because His grace is.
God’s grace is not wimpy or weak. It’s His power - clothed in kindness, rooted in love, and aimed directly at our hearts. Paul didn’t get healing. He got something better: a deeper experience with Jesus.
So today, whatever you’re carrying, don’t be afraid to be weak. Don’t reach for the reed staff. Run to God whose grace is sufficient.
For when I am weak, then I am strong.
That’s not defeat. That’s dependence - and that’s where true power is found.
Heavenly Father, help me to have this attitude like Paul. Keep me from reaching for the staff of self-reliance, and keep me humbly dependent on Your grace. Thank you for the things in my life that keep me God-reliant. For when I am weak, Your grace makes me strong. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
