I need Christ’s power in my life and ministry. Don’t you? But how does it come to us? Paul gives us the answer in 2 Corinthians 12:9.

You’re probably already familiar with the famous passage about Paul’s “thorn in the flesh.”

Paul explained that because he had received extraordinary revelations from the Lord, he was in danger of becoming proud. So, to keep him humble, the Lord allowed Paul to suffer from a mysterious “thorn”:

Therefore, in order 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 made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me (2 Corinthians 12:7-9, emphasis added).

We don’t know for sure what the “thorn” or “messenger of Satan” was, but the Lord refused to remove it and insisted that His grace was sufficient for Paul as he suffered that “torment.” The Lord’s power “is made perfect in weakness”—in other words, it is fully displayed precisely where Paul was weakest. That means Christ’s power was expressed most fully in Paul’s ministry as he became increasingly aware of his weakness and dependence on God.

Given that truth about Christ’s power, pay close attention to that last line: “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” I’ve never noticed this line before.

Notice the structure: there’s a condition (protasis) and a result (apodosis).

The condition is boasting in one’s weakness. The result of such boasting is Christ’s power resting on you.

Could it really be that simple?

We don’t achieve Christ’s power by striving for it. We don’t earn it by working harder or by proving ourselves worthy.

On the contrary!

Christ’s power comes after boasting in our weaknesses. We don’t do it reluctantly, but gladly. We don’t try to hide them but openly admit them. Instead of being ashamed of our weakness, we self-deprecatingly talk about it, because when we do, that’s when Christ’s power will rest on us.

So do you want Christ’s power to rest on you? Then repent of thinking that you’re strong and stop hiding your weakness. Instead, confess it. Boast in it! Name your weaknesses honestly—before God and even before others. Make it a regular confession, not a hidden shame. That’s the surprising condition Paul discovered: when you embrace your weakness, you make room for Christ’s power to cover you. That’s not bad news—it’s the best news you could hear when you feel worn down. Paradoxically, the less self-sufficient you are, the more Christ-sufficient you will find Him to be.

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Send your questions or comments to shawn@freegrace.in.

Read his latest book, The Myth of Tithing and the Joy of Grace Giving by getting it from us or from Amazon.