R. Michelle Braud
Ministry leaders know what it feels like to carry weakness. Whether it is exhaustion, criticism, illness, or the weight of unmet expectations, our limitations often feel like barriers to fruitful service. However, the Apostle Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 that weakness is not the end of the story. It is the very place where the gift of God’s grace comes to abide.
When Paul pleaded with the Lord three times to remove the thorn, the Lord responded with the promise: ἀρκεῖ σοι ἡ χάρις μου, ἡ γὰρ δύναμις ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ τελεῖται (“My grace is enough for you, for power is perfected in weakness”), (2 Cor 12:9). These words have comforted countless Christians, but for those entrusted with shepherding others, they carry particular weight. They remind us that ministry is not sustained by personal charisma or ability, but by the abiding presence of Christ.
Paul’s Struggle and God’s Response
Paul writes to the church of Corinth from within a cultural context obsessed with strength, status, and public honor. In a society that celebrated boasting and self-promotion, Paul faced pressure to prove his authority through achievements or spiritual experiences. Instead, he chose to boast in his weaknesses.
After recounting his extraordinary encounter in the third heaven (vv. 1-7), Paul acknowledges that God allowed “a thorn in the flesh” to keep him from pride. Though Paul pleaded for relief, the Lord’s answer was not deliverance, but ἡ χάρις μου (“my grace”). For Paul, grace was not merely unmerited favor, but the empowering gift of God Himself. As John Barclay notes: “For Paul, the Christ-gift is most fundamentally not the giving of a thing but the giving of a person.” Grace is God giving Himself to us, not removing our struggles, but abiding with us in them.
The Paradox of Weakness
Paul’s testimony turns cultural values upside down. In the Greco-Roman world, honor was pursued through strength, eloquence, and public recognition, while weakness was despised. Yet Paul declares, “For whenever I am weak, I am powerful” (v.10b).
This paradox is not theoretical theology, but the lived experience of the believer. The verb τελεῖται (“finds its full expression” or “is perfected”) appears in the passive voice, indicating that δύναμις (“power”) is not the agent performing the action, but the goal of the action. Power is being acted upon in the location of weakness; human weakness becomes the very location where divine power is revealed. Therefore, weakness is not a disqualification from ministry, but the very means by which Christ’s power is displayed.
Grace as Abiding Presence
The keyword Paul uses is that Christ’s power may “abide upon” him (v. 9). The imagery is striking. It takes up residence, overshadowing and covering the believer. Just as God’s presence once dwelled in the tabernacle, His empowering presence now abides in our weakness.
For ministry leaders, this means that the very places we feel most inadequate can become the dwelling places of Christ’s power. Our insufficiency creates space for His sufficiency. Our vulnerability creates room for His presence to rest upon us.
Implications for
Ministry Leaders
1. We Do Not Need to Perform
In a world that prizes results, appearance, and success, leaders are tempted to project strength. Paul reminds us that authenticity in weakness invites God’s power more than polished appearances ever could.
2. We Can Reframe Struggles as Opportunities
The thorn was painful, yet Paul saw it as a safeguard from pride and an opportunity for grace. Our hardships, too, can become testimonies of God’s sustaining presence rather than obstacles to ministry.
3. We Lead Out of Dependence, Not Self-Sufficiency
True spiritual authority does not flow from credentials or giftedness, but from reliance on Christ.
4. We Model Grace to Those
We Shepherd
By embracing our weaknesses, we embody the gospel for those we serve. Our lives become a testimony to the power of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
A Cruciform Identity
Paul’s teaching invites us into a cruciform identity. Just as Christ’s power was displayed most fully in His suffering, so His grace is displayed in our surrendered weakness. Ministry is not about avoiding hardship, but allowing the cross-shaped pattern of weakness and grace to define our lives.
The Church today often mirrors Corinth in its obsession with status, growth, and influence. Yet Paul calls us back to the sufficiency of grace. Our ministries do not thrive because of flawless execution or perfect leadership strategies. They thrive when Christ’s presence abides in our weakness.
Conclusion
Paul’s paradox of power in weakness is the lived reality of Christian ministry. In our exhaustion, criticism, and inadequacies, the gift of grace comes—not to remove the weakness, but to dwell with us in it. For ministry leaders, this truth is profoundly liberating. We need not fear weakness; instead, we can embrace it as the very place where Christ meets us. His grace is enough. His presence abides. His power is perfected—not when we are strong, but when we are weak.
Therefore, with Paul, we can boldly declare: “Most gladly I will boast in my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may abide upon me” (v.9b).
