I had the privilege of leading our serial reading last evening (Harvest Community Church) and wanted to post something brief about that passage. The passage was from 2 Corinthians 12. Paul recounts his experiences of being caught up in the third heaven or paradise "whether in the body or outside the body he does not know, but God knows". (2 Corinthians 12:2,3) It is impossible to even imagine what that must have been like! It was so unbelievably amazing and fearful that he cannot tell anyone or utter anything that he has heard. Paul didn't tell anyone about that vision or revelation for 14 years. Paul, are you kidding? The most unbelievable, unimanginable, and heavenly vision and you keep it a secret?
So, why now - after 14 years?
He needed the Corinthian church to understand NOT his greatness but his weakness. God knows Paul's flesh and how easy it would have been for Paul to be puffed up and tell everyone how God had honored him by allowing him to see PARADISE. Instead, God sent a thorn, a messenger of Satan, to keep him from being conceited. Paul pleads 3 times for this to be removed, but praises God - yep, praises God for this weakness. When is the last time you thanked God in the circumstance you were in, even when it was something painful?
So, why make Paul weak?
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)
Are you feeling weak? Are you suffering physically (disease, illness, or run down), emotionally (from a spouse, a friend, or a son/daughter), financially (bad decision, loss of a job, or the economy), being painfully tempted, or phychologically (one or all the previous listed struggles)? Are you at your weakest? Then God is your answer - He is the only way to have strength in the time of weakness. That's how God works! It is all Him, and nothing to do with you!
So, Paul understood it - wouldn't it be nice for you to say this with him . . .
"For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:10c)
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