And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, —2 Corinthians 12:9
It turns out that God is not threatened by human weakness, nor surprised by failure. Scripture shows again and again that God works not around weakness, but through it. Our limitations, wounds, and habitual struggles do not disqualify us for God’s purposes. In fact, it is those very weaknesses that make us appropriate vessels for God’s strength to be revealed.
If we were not weak – and aware of our weakness – we would become too prideful to be truly useful to God.
We tend to view our sin as an end of sorts. We have become convinced that God cannot use those who continue to sin. So we set unrealistic goals for ourselves and become demoralized. Hopeless. We believe that every time we fail, God is somehow disappointed at best; angry with us at worst. But scripture simply does not support that idea. It is more likely that when we come to the father after a failure, that He leans toward us with a kind, loving smile, and gently says, “I know.” He then picks us up, holds us close, and starts us back on the way He prepared for us before the creation of the world. In this transaction, we must remember that our attitude is always one of repentance. We are saddened by our sin because we realize that those attitudes and actions are inconsistent with the new creation that we are in Christ. But God sees us differently than we tend to assume.
God sees the weaknesses that we think make us unfit as the soil for the seeds of strength.
Peter, after walking with Jesus for three years, denied that he even knew Him! (Luke 22) Understandably, as soon as he realized what he had done, he ran away and wept bitterly. One might assume that God was deeply disappointed in Peter — that the denial rendered Peter unfit to be used in the work that God had planned. But that’s not what happened at all. Jesus met Peter in his brokenness and pain and offered reconciliation. He not only reminded Peter of his calling, but confirmed that he was still called. Peter went on to be integral in the establishment of God’s Church.
God does not measure faithfulness by flawlessness. He looks at the softness of the heart, not the absence of scars. Like David, we are known not by the sins that trip us, but by our willingness to return—to repent, to trust mercy, and to keep walking with God in humility.
Weakness humbles us, strips away illusion, and teaches us dependence. It becomes the place where God’s strength is most visible and His compassion most believable. Ministry that flows from weakness is not polished, but it is true—and truth is what is the world needs.
This is not an excuse for sin, nor a denial of responsibility. It is a confession that grace is deeper than our failure, and that God remains faithful even when we stumble. God redeems broken people not by erasing their weakness, but by transforming that weakness into a testimony of His steadfast love.
Prayer
Father,
I confess that I am often afraid of my weakness. I try to hide it, overcome it, or pretend it does not exist. I measure myself by my performance and assume You do the same.
Forgive me.
Teach me to see my weakness the way You do — not as disqualification, but as invitation. When I stumble, draw me quickly back to You. Give me a heart that is soft, repentant, and honest. Guard me from pride when I succeed and from despair when I fail.
Remind me that Your grace is sufficient. That Your power is perfected not in my strength, but in my dependence.
Use even my wounds as soil for deeper faith. Transform my failures into testimony. And make me a person who boasts not in myself, but in Your mercy.
Today, I return to You again — trusting that You are not surprised, not threatened, and not finished with me.
Amen.