The Paradox Of Power

Introduction: Our Vain Obsession with Strength

We live in a world that worships at the altar of strength. From the moment we rise to the moment we sleep, we are bombarded by a single command: Be strong. Look upon the images that flicker before our eyes, listen to the philosophies of this age. The message is unchanging: Be successful. Be independent. Project an image of confidence, and whatsoever you do, hide your flaws. Never let them see you falter. Here in our city, we call it madiskarte—that tireless ability to overcome, to manage, to handle things on our own. We exalt the strong, and we quietly conceal our weakness, hoping no one will notice.

But what shall we do when our weakness cannot be concealed? What happens when the infirmity is a body wracked with sickness? When the necessity is a wallet that is empty? When the distress is a soul overwhelmed with sorrow? We view these things as marks of failure, as reasons for shame.

Today, we look to God’s Word to find a truth so profound, so contrary to the wisdom of this world, that it can only be divine. We look to the Apostle Paul, a chosen vessel of God, a man who stood before kings, who was caught up into the third heaven. Surely, a man of such spiritual stature was a pillar of unshakeable strength. Yet this great apostle harboured a deep and tormenting weakness. He called it a "thorn in the flesh." And in his pleading for relief, the Lord answered him not with removal, but with a revelation. A revelation that turns our understanding of power completely upside-down.

He learned that God's strength is not a reward for our strength, but a gift that rushes in to fill the vacuum of our weakness.

I. The Pain of the Thorn (Our Experience of Infirmity)

Before we can grasp the promise, we must first sit with the pain.

A. The Thorn in the Flesh

In the seventh verse, Paul speaks of this trial: "...there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure." For centuries, saints and scholars have wondered what this thorn might have been. Was it a sickness of the eyes? A tormenting temptation? The bitter sting of betrayal from those he loved?

The Holy Spirit, in His wisdom, did not permit the exact nature of this thorn to be recorded. And why? So that you and I could see our own struggles in his. Your thorn may be a sickness that lingers. It may be a sorrow that will not lift. It may be a financial lack, a family trial, a profound loneliness. It is that persistent, humbling, painful splinter in your life that reminds you every day that you are not self-sufficient. It is your own personal infirmity.

B. The Plea of a Broken Man

Consider Paul’s immediate and deeply human response. Verse 8: "For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me." This was not a passing request. To beseech the Lord is to beg, to plead with desperation and humility. Thrice he pleaded, like his Master in the Garden of Gethsemane. "Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me."

This gives us comfort, does it not? It is no sin to despise our infirmities. It is not a lack of faith to cry out to God for deliverance. Paul, the spiritual giant, was on his knees, begging the Lord to change his circumstances. But the answer he received, while not the one he wanted, was the one he desperately needed.

II. The Sufficiency of Grace (God's Unchanging Answer)

God's answer to Paul echoes through the ages and lands in our hearts today with life-changing power.

A. The Personal Promise: "My Grace is Sufficient for Thee"

The Lord speaks in verse 9: "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee..." Let us hold this precious promise and examine its facets.

1."My grace": The grace of which He speaks is not a mere feeling or a vague concept. It is His own divine influence upon the heart, His unmerited favor, His active, enabling power. It flows not from earth, but from the very throne of Heaven.

2. "is sufficient": Notice the verb tense. It is. Not "it will be" when your circumstances change. Not "it might be" if you pray harder. Right now, in this moment, as you sit here with your thorn, His grace is enough. It is the daily manna from heaven, perfectly measured for this day's trouble.

3. "for thee": This is not a general promise for the masses. This is an intimate whisper from the Creator to His child. He says it to Paul, and He says it to you. My grace is sufficient for thee.