Weakness

"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. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." -The Apostle Paul- II Corinthians 12:8-10

Our world prizes strength--the physical strength of athletes, the financial strength of companies, the political strength of officeholders, and the military strength of armies. But Paul put a new twist on the notion of strength: weakness can make a person strong.

Most of us would have no problem with God using our natural areas of strength, such as speaking, organizing, managing, or selling. But suppose He chose instead to use us in areas where we are weak?

Moses claimed to be a poor speaker (Ex.4:10), yet God used him as His spokesman on Israel's behalf. Peter tended to be impulsive and even hot-headed, yet God used him as one of the chief architects of the early church.

Weakness has a way of making us rely on God far more than our strengths do.

Source: "The Word in Life Study Bible" p. 2103