Finding Strength in Weakness: Embracing God's Grace

Life often brings us to places where our prayers seem to go unanswered, where pain lingers, and where we feel weak or overlooked by God. Yet, it is precisely in these moments of weakness and struggle that God’s grace shines brightest. When our strength fails, when we are at the end of ourselves, God steps in—not always to remove the thorn, but to reveal His sufficiency and power in our lives. The story of Paul in 2 Corinthians 12 reminds us that even the most faithful can carry burdens that God chooses not to remove, not out of neglect, but to keep us humble and dependent on Him, and to display His glory through our perseverance.

We often equate God’s love with answered prayers and visible miracles, but sometimes the greater miracle is in the keeping—the ability to endure, to keep serving, to keep loving, and to keep believing even when the answer is “not yet.” God’s grace is not just a theological concept; it is the unearned, unmerited favor that sustains us, empowers us, and enables us to do what we could never do on our own. Our struggles, our grief, our unanswered prayers—these are not signs of God’s absence, but opportunities for His strength to be made perfect in our weakness.

This journey requires a shift in perspective. Instead of viewing our hardships through a worldly lens, we are called to see them through the eyes of eternity. The crushing, the trials, the unanswered prayers—they are not the end of the story. They are the means by which God produces the oil of anointing, the wine of joy, and the testimony that points others to Him. We are not called to a life of comfort, but to a life that glorifies God, even if it means limping, crawling, or crying our way forward.

God chooses to use us, broken as we are, to display His power and love to a watching world. He trusts us with our thorns, knowing that if we lean into His grace, we will become vessels of His glory. Our calling is not just to receive blessings, but to become a blessing, to serve, to pray for others, and to trust that God’s “not yet” is never a “no” to His love or His purpose for us. In every season, His grace is enough, and His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

Key Takeaways

• 1. God’s Grace Shines in Our Weakness When we are at our lowest, God’s grace becomes most evident. Our inability to fix or change our circumstances is not a sign of God’s absence, but an invitation to experience His sufficiency. The miracle is not always in the removal of pain, but in the strength to endure and continue serving Him faithfully. [03:01]
• 2. The Thorn Is a Tool, Not a Punishment Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was not a punishment, but a means to keep him humble and reliant on God. Our own thorns—those persistent struggles or unanswered prayers—are often the very things God uses to display His power and to remind us that we cannot do it alone. Embracing our weakness allows God’s strength to be revealed through us. [12:05]
• 3. Perspective Shift: From Self to God’s Glory We must move from a self-centered view of suffering to a God-centered one. Our hardships are not just about us; they are about God’s greater plan and His glory. When we fix our eyes on eternity and trust that God is working through our pain, we find purpose and peace even in the midst of trials. [18:26]
• 4. Crushing Produces Anointing Just as olives must be crushed to produce oil and grapes stomped to make wine, our trials and crushing moments are what produce spiritual depth and anointing. The process is painful, but it is necessary for God’s purposes to be fulfilled in and through us. True spiritual maturity comes from embracing the process, not avoiding it. [27:07]
• 5. God Trusts Us with Our Struggles Sometimes, God allows us to keep our thorns because He trusts us to steward them well—to continue serving, loving, and praising Him in spite of them. Our faithfulness in the midst of pain becomes a testimony to others and a vessel for God’s glory. He chooses to use us, not because we are strong, but because His strength is made perfect in our weakness.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [03:01] - God’s Grace in Weakness
• [04:40] - The Miracle of Endurance
• [06:13] - Paul’s Context and Struggles
• [08:25] - Paul’s Vision and Boasting in Weakness
• [11:29] - The Meaning of the Thorn
• [13:13] - God’s Grace in Our Struggles
• [15:28] - Maturity in Unanswered Prayers
• [17:32] - Shifting Our Perspective
• [19:33] - The Bigger Picture of God’s Glory
• [21:51] - Understanding Grace
• [24:22] - For the Seasoned and the New
• [26:02] - The Crushing that Produces Anointing
• [28:21] - Living with Eternity in Mind
• [32:37] - Called and Chosen for More
• [35:06] - God Uses Our Pain for His Glory
• [37:03] - Trusted with the Thorn
• [39:58] - Chosen by the King
• [41:18] - Bring Your Struggles to God
• [47:33] - Closing Prayer and Invitation

Bible Reading

2 Corinthians 12:1-10 (ESV) — 1 I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.
2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows.
3 And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—
4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter.
5 On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses—
6 though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me.
7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.
8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.
9 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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Psalm 73:26 (ESV) — My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Observation Questions

1. What was Paul’s “thorn in the flesh,” and how did he describe its purpose in his life? (2 Corinthians 12:7-9)
2. According to the sermon, what does it mean when God says, “My grace is sufficient for you”? [03:01]
3. How does Paul respond to God’s answer of “no” or “not yet” regarding his request to remove the thorn? (2 Corinthians 12:8-10)
4. In Psalm 73:26, what does the psalmist say about God’s role when our health or spirit fails?

Interpretation Questions

1. Why might God choose not to remove certain struggles or “thorns” from our lives, according to both Paul’s experience and the sermon? [12:05]
2. The sermon says, “The miracle is not always in the removal of pain, but in the strength to endure and continue serving Him faithfully.” What does this suggest about how we should view unanswered prayers? [04:40]
3. How does shifting our perspective from a self-centered view of suffering to a God-centered one change the way we handle hardships? [18:26]
4. The pastor mentioned that sometimes God trusts us with our struggles. What does it mean for God to “trust” us with our pain or weakness? [37:03]

Application Questions

1. Is there a “thorn” or ongoing struggle in your life that you have been praying for God to remove? How might your attitude or actions change if you believed God’s grace is enough for you in this season? [13:13]
2. The sermon talked about the “miracle of endurance”—continuing to serve, love, and believe even when prayers seem unanswered. Can you share a time when you experienced God’s strength in your weakness? What did you learn from that season? [04:40]
3. When you face disappointment or feel overlooked by God, do you tend to withdraw from serving or community? What would it look like to keep moving forward, even if you’re “limping, crawling, or crying your way forward”? [35:06]
4. The pastor said, “Our hardships are not just about us; they are about God’s greater plan and His glory.” How can you remind yourself to look at your struggles through the eyes of eternity instead of just the present moment? [18:26]
5. The sermon used the image of olives being crushed to produce oil and grapes being stomped to make wine. In what ways have your own “crushing” moments produced spiritual growth or helped others see God’s power? [27:07]
6. Are there people in your life who need to see you trusting God in the middle of your struggle? How can your faithfulness in pain become a testimony to them? [37:03]
7. The pastor shared honestly about feeling angry and disappointed with God, but also about bringing those feelings to Him. Is there something you need to bring honestly to God right now? What would it look like to trust Him with your “not yet”? [44:15]