Sufficient

2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV: But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’

When I examine the life of Paul, I am struck by the extraordinary hardship he endured. In chapter 11 of this letter to the Corinthians, which I’ve quoted from, he lists many of these, including several near-death beatings and other hard-to-believe traumatic circumstances.  

The question is how he did not give up. How did he remain joyful and passionate about spreading the gospel? How did he hold on to hope and faith? Many point to Paul’s encounters with Christ and his firsthand experience of the truth this verse expresses. 

This often-memorized verse appears in the midst of one of these encounters. He recounts pleading with the Lord to remove a metaphorical “thorn” that tormented him. Much has been written about what this thorn represented. Some believe it was a physical ailment, others persecution, and still others an emotional struggle. Perhaps it’s a blessing we don’t know, because the ambiguity allows the metaphor to speak to each of our lives.

The point isn’t what the thorn was; the point is that it tormented Paul, and he pleaded with the Lord to remove it multiple times. If prayer were a matter of faith alone, surely this thorn would have been removed. Yet God’s answer? “My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation” (Amplified Bible). 

Then comes the promise that gives substance to that assurance; again quoting from the Amplified Bible, “[My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.” 

This is not what we want to hear. Yet I’ve seen its truth play out repeatedly in my own life, which is what inspired this piece. Visually, I represented this concept by showing the jar being drained of self-reliance, self-sufficiency, and self-effort by the thorn. Paradoxically, the emptying creates space for God’s all-surpassing power and strength.

Without the thorn, we are more tempted to rely on ourselves rather than on the power of Christ. We think we want a life free of struggle, hardship, danger, and setbacks. Yet without them, I might never recognize how much of myself fills the vessel, all my strength, my plans, my ways.

There is only one way Paul endured all he did: he was filled to the brim with God’s power and ability because of his personal weaknesses. He stopped pleading for the thorn’s removal, accepted it as a means of experiencing more of God, and even began to boast in his weakness. Perhaps, like Paul, our thorns are not merely obstacles to endure but invitations to experience more of God.