Read 2 Corinthians 12:9–21
I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that
Christ’s power may rest on me.… For when I am weak, then I
am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:9–10
God does not give us His grace simply to help us endure our sufferings. God’s grace should enable us to rise above our circumstances and
cause our afflictions to work for us in accomplishing positive good.
What benefits did Paul receive? He experienced the power of
Christ in his life. God transformed Paul’s weakness into strength.
Something else happened to Paul as a result of his suffering: He
was able to glorify God in his infirmities. This does not mean that
he preferred pain to health, but rather that he knew how to turn his
infirmities into assets. What made the difference? The grace of God
and the glory of God. Paul delighted in these trials and problems
because he knew he was suffering for the sake of Jesus Christ (2 Cor.
12:10). “It is a greater thing to pray for pain’s conversion than its
removal,” wrote P. T. Forsyth. Paul won the victory, not by substitution but by transformation. He discovered the sufficiency of the
grace of God (v. 9).
Something to Ponder
How would your spiritual life be different if you focused more on
converting pain than on asking God to completely remove it?