By My grace is all you need.
My power works best in weakness.
—2 Corinthians 12:9
I used to read that verse and feel vaguely disappointed.
Not because I doubted it. But because it felt like a consolation prize. Like God was saying, “I’m not going to fix this, but here, have some grace.” That didn’t feel like good news. It felt like a polite no.
The Greek word Paul uses tells a different story.
The word for “works best” in weakness is teleo. It means finished, accomplished or complete. It shares the same root as what Jesus cried out on the cross, tetelestai, “It is finished.”
God isn’t saying your weakness is a problem He’s tolerating. He’s saying it’s where His finished work is most fully appreciated.
That means your struggle isn’t evidence that God has abandoned you (or might) or that your faith is lacking. It may actually be the very place His love—His power—becomes undeniable to you.
God’s answer helped Paul find peace in his weakness. But he also found something he didn’t expect: purpose in it. And I believe you can too. If that’s something you’re still working through, I wrote about it here.
Grace in weakness isn’t a promise that the struggle goes away. It’s something better: the assurance that whatever happens about it doesn’t define you, doesn’t mean anything about you and doesn’t change God’s mind about you.
And that’s what my audio series Living at Peace with Yourself is based on. Get all 6 messages today for a donation of any amount.