2 Corinthians 12:9
He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me.
Context and meaning
Paul has just described an extraordinary spiritual experience and then immediately speaks of a "thorn in the flesh" — a problem he does not identify. He asked three times for it to be removed.
The answer he records is not removal, but a sentence: "my grace is sufficient for you". The verb is in the continuous present, something like "keeps being sufficient".
The rest of the verse inverts the usual logic of strength: "my power is made perfect in weakness". This is not praise of fragility, but recognition that dependence opens a space self-sufficiency closes.
Paul's reaction is surprising: he says he will boast in his weaknesses. It is the opposite of the overcoming narrative that usually accompanies texts of faith.
It is one of the verses most read by people living with a permanent limitation — chronic illness, lasting injury, a condition that does not change.
Related verses
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
but those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not faint.
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