8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 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.
Paul. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. Hi, it’s Nathan, and this is Day 21 of 30 Days of Prayer. This is an incredible passage! I don’t know about you, but most of the time, I’m embarrassed or ashamed of my weaknesses. I wrestle with feeling inferior to folks who seem to have it more put together than I do. But Paul offers us an alternative perspective: our weakness as an opportunity for God to show up. In fact, he was so impressed with the potential, that when he learned how God would show up through his weakness—he began to celebrate them, instead of run from them. Now, I don’t think this meant that Paul was running around telling everybody all his problems but he wasn’t hiding them either. He was just watching God show up where he came short. I also don’t think Paul used this as an excuse for irresponsible action. I’m certain he didn’t say, ‘Hey, I’ve got real trouble with time management, but since God shows up in my weakness, it doesn’t matter how I use my time.’ He’s the amazing thing for us, though. Next time you’re tempted to get down on yourself about something, start asking, ‘God, how are you going to show up here?’
