In an ever-increasing competitive world, weakness is not something that we are prone to share with others or even acknowledge ourselves. We cover up our imperfections in an attempt to present our best possible selves. And in putting our best selves out there, we get the applause, the likes, the promotions etc. The downside of this culture is that it discourages us from being honest about ourselves. There are [will be] times that we experience storms and resistance in our lives—where everything seems to be going wrong.  In such times, reading 2 Corinthians can bring comfort and assurance. Our dependence is well expressed when Paul wrote about the thorn in his flesh. Paul pleaded with God three times to take it away but God told him that His power is made perfect in Paul’s weakness. Like most of us, when we are experiencing weakness in our lives, we ask God to take away whatever is causing the weakness. We do not want weakness to be associated with our lives, we want to be strong and be in our best selves at all times. However, God responds to our weakness; He made us and knows how to sustain in whatever state or situation we find ourselves in. In verse 9, we read God did not remove Paul’s weakness, instead He spoke into his 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.

2 Corinthians 12:8-10

God’s power is mainly found when we shift from begging him to remove our struggle, to listening to Him speak into our struggles. Our weakness makes us depend on God and draws us close to Him. If you are not strong anymore because you cannot fight or your weakness is overwhelming you, pray to God for His power to be manifested in your weakness. You do not have to try to be perfect—God simply wants us to surrender our inadequacy to him so that He can fill us with His strength.