Tragic situations are transformed when God steps in. And He takes the most (seemingly) insignificant things to transform. Underdogs become overcomers, weaknesses turn into strengths, and obstacles are nothing but opportunities that launch significant events.

Paul called his disability “a thorn in my flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7). The downside of this “thorn” was the awful torment it brought. The benefit was that it kept Paul from being self-sufficient. The pain he endured forced him away from self-serving pride and toward an all-important discovery: “When I am weak, then I am strong” (12:10).

Strength in weakness—sounds like an oxymoron. However, when you are weak it is possible to be strong, just as Paul says in 2 Corinthians.

From 2 Corinthians 12:2–10, Pastor Chuck Swindoll extracts Paul’s lessons and concludes that God’s grace is not only sufficient, but His power works best in weakness!

God does His best work in you after you’ve exhausted your own strength. He doesn’t use “super-strong” people. He uses the inadequate and ill-equipped, “...for when I am weak, then I am strong.”