2 Corinthians 12:10 – When I Am Weak

It’s very easy these days to lose heart.  The enemy – although probably few in numbers – appears to have much strength.  He certainly has momentum.  When all the levers of power are arrayed against us, the odds look overwhelming.  All we have to do is witness how the entire government of this nation has effectively been taken over by Leftists of one stripe or another.  If they aren’t thoroughly Marxist, they’re Islamic.  All are assuredly anti-God.  When we speak about the Deep State, it’s hard for us to comprehend its cavernous depths.  Think of the millions of people in the federal government.  Look at the millions in state and local governments.  Consider how narrow is the path into the kingdom of God.  Only a minuscule number of these people in government belong to the Lord.  When we merge these ideas, perhaps we can gain a tiny sliver of understanding as to how far-reaching in scope and numbers are the forces of darkness.

Even when we confront a local school board, it seems hopeless.  Have you noticed how many of these boards across the country are exactly the same?  They all parrot the identical party line.  How is that even possible?  Do they have massive Zoom calls each week to coordinate their agendas , the school curricula, and their talking points?  (By the way, my questions are rhetorical.  I know why such coordination exists.  It comes from a unified agenda promoted in the spiritual realm.)

We who oppose what they stand for may feel like we’re running into a brick wall.   None of these people on the boards acknowledge the depths of Marxism which they accept or advocate for the schools from the corrupt teachers’ unions.  When confronted by truth, they retreat into lies and deceit.

Let me give you a possible example of this.  Most of us are aware of the false flag events that Leftists love to initiate.  In the area of racial relations, it has been shown time and again that the supposed hate actions of people on the Right have actually been done by someone on the Left hoping to falsely accuse conservatives.  Among those invented sins are nooses planted to point fingers as to how the Right is filled with KKK thinking.  There have been untruthful accusations of rape.  Letters have been written that express violent threats.  All these have originated from the Left and are totally fabricated.  Because the publication of these faux threats is freely done by a willingly joyful media that loves this narrative, many people only see the invented headlines and never know the truth.

I’ve mentioned previously that I’ve been engaged in the battle against our local school board in their implementation of CRT, homosexual, and gender dysphoric material.  In a recent meeting, the board president declared that several members of the board had received a letter that threatened them, and that their children had seen this letter, causing them much fear.  When the board president stated this at the meeting, the implication from him was that everyone in attendance who opposed what the board was doing was guilty by association.  He didn’t state it directly, but to my ears, we were all part of the group newly classified by our government as DVEs, i.e. Domestic Violent Extremists.

One will excuse me if I express some suspicion as to the veracity of this letter.  Now, it’s certainly possible that a wayward person sent such a missive.  If so, that’s surely unacceptable.  Of course, if that’s the case, it’s not necessary to paint with such a broad brush that all in attendance at the board meeting are likewise guilty.  However, given the numerous incidents of prior false flag items that have almost universally been shown NOT to be initiated by someone on the Right; rather have been planted by a Leftist to falsely accuse and sow sympathy for the poor recipients of such hatred, I’m not convinced.

Regardless, to the theme of this commentary, all these kinds of incidents add up to show the massive tide of darkness that is sweeping over us which seems impossible to counter.

In writing to the church in Corinth, Paul expressed similar sentiments.  A seemingly large number of people had been spreading falsehoods about the Gospel and Paul himself.  They had boasted as to how marvelous in the sight of God they were with their mighty works.  Their eloquent speech captured many and turned the hearts of the people away from Christ and His true apostle.  These “super apostles” had captured the imagination of many in the church and were leading them astray.  It grieved Paul to no end.

It may, in fact, have been one of these who was the thorn in Paul’s side that God allowed to remain to keep him from growing conceited (2 Corinthians 12:7).  Some Bible teachers think the thorn may have been some difficulty with his vision that plagued Paul, however, that doesn’t seem reasonable given the text.  He speaks of a messenger of Satan.  Strongs’ #32 tells us this word is aggelos, literally an angel, in this case, a demonic one, or a person incited by Satan to plague Paul.  It is certainly a personification, not an affliction.

As a result of these attacks from several quarters, it may have seemed to Paul that he was outnumbered, and surely outflanked.  But God declared to him in 2 Corinthians 12:8:

… “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” … 

God assured Paul that although he had little power in his own flesh, God more than adequately made up for his human deficiencies.  Because Paul operated in the power and Spirit of the Lord, he had nothing to worry about.  God had the situation handled and would bring about a good ending just as Romans 8:28 promises:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

No matter how impossible the circumstances may appear, when we are on God’s side, we can trust that He will do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20).

It is in this confidence that Paul was able to express in 2 Corinthians 12:10:

For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

So it can and should be with us.  The few of us standing athwart history, so to speak, which is moving inexorably into a lawless condition, need not fear.  We have more strength and power than it appears.  It’s not within ourselves, but rather rests with God.  If we do our part and seek His guidance in these matters, and purpose to be fully His as we strive to be salt and light to this dying world, we can know that the Lord will act appropriately and justly.

Will we depend on Him and be content in our weakness?  If so, then we can declare, even as Paul did: For when I am weak, then I am strong.