And he said to me, My grace suffices thee; for [my] power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather boast in my weaknesses, that the power of the Christ may dwell upon me.
Paul had asked three times for one thing — the removal of the thorn — and what came back was not removal but a promise about the Giver Himself. The verse turns a refused request into a discovery: weakness is where Christ's power works.
A refusal that gives more than was asked
Paul did not pray casually or half-heartedly. Still, he never got what he asked for. One writer reads the reply as an answer of a completely different kind:
Paul turned to prayer, as anyone would. It was intense prayer: he did not just ask, he begged. And he repeated it, begging the Lord three times. Yet his desire was not granted. Instead of having the thorn removed, he received the promise of abundant grace. That grace would turn the thorn into a help instead of a burden, a blessing instead of a hindrance. The Lord answered his prayer, but not in the way he expected. He gave him something better.
The weight of one small word
The promise is not grace in the abstract. Twice the Lord says "My," and that one word sets the size of the supply:
He prayed three times for it to be removed, and it stayed. But it became the occasion for a fresh promise of abundant inward grace, in those unforgettable words. It is not only grace, but MY grace, not only strength, but MY strength. You can only measure that grace and strength by the divine and eternal fullness of the One whose they are. Set beside that greatness, how small Paul was — and we are smaller still.
Why the thorn was left in place
If the Lord could remove it and did not, the thorn must be doing something no removal could do. One writer weighs the two options against each other:
At first, Paul longed to be rid of the thorn in the flesh, whatever it was. But the thorn in the flesh was better than pride in the heart. It was far better to be afflicted than proud. It was better to have Christ's sympathy with him in his trial than the power of His hand taking him out of it.
The refusal, then, is not coldness. Another writer imagines the Lord's reasoning behind it:
Christ is not speaking about Paul's ability to meet the trial. He is speaking about His own heart with Paul in it, to brighten everything. He says, "You want the thorn removed, but I will leave it. It will make you lean on My arm… I want you to see how living My grace is, and I want you to rest your heart on it. I will leave the thorn just to make you feel what you have in Me."
Strength perfected where there is none
"Made perfect in weakness" is not a paradox to admire but a working rule. Power shows itself only where the person adds nothing:
The thorn is not power in itself, but preparation for power. Suppose Paul was despised in his ministry: well, there never was such a work done before. Then there must be something here besides Paul; Christ must be here… Where is His strength made perfect? In a person who has no strength at all: then it must be Christ.
This explains why believers never graduate into self-sufficiency:
The Lord never gives us strength of our own; He makes us feel our dependence. I am made to feel my weakness when I see how my flesh would even twist the blessings that are mine in Christ.
A word spoken to one person
Before the promise comes the phrase "He said to me." The comfort is not a doctrine held at second hand:
The first sentence of this verse is sometimes overlooked — "He said to me." Paul got it from Christ. You may tell me that Christ is enough, but I must hear it myself from Christ in heaven. That will settle my heart… Before, he begged the Lord to take the thorn away. Now a message from Christ has changed everything. The voice of Christ changes everything. There is no third party here; it is not He and us, but He and me.
From pleading to boasting
Once Paul knows the reason, his attitude to the thorn flips:
This weakness keeps the flesh from boasting. It also becomes the occasion for Christ to display His grace and power. So from now on the Apostle boasts in the very weakness he had wanted removed. He can take pleasure in the very things that we by nature find so hateful — weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and distresses.
Summary
- Thorn. It stayed on purpose. Better an afflicted man than a proud one. Better Christ's sympathy in the trial than His hand removing it.
- Voice. Paul did not read that Christ is enough; he heard Christ say it to him. The voice of Christ changes everything, and each person must hear it for themselves.
- Mine. The promise is measured by the One who makes it: not grace, but My grace; not strength, but My strength.
- Weakness. Christ's strength is not perfected in our strength. The thorn is not power; it is the preparation for power.
- Boasting. The end is not resignation but gladness. The thing Paul begged to lose becomes the thing he boasts in, because it makes room for the power of Christ.