Fear Less: Devotions for Courageous FaithSample

How to Delight in Your Weaknesses

In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul says,  "I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

I have a hard time with the concept of delighting in my weaknesses. I want my weaknesses to be gone, and I want them gone yesterday. Forget delighting in weakness. I don’t even want it to exist.

One of my biggest life struggles is with food and my weight. For the last fifteen years, I’ve been maintaining a weight loss of over 100 pounds. While God has brought me so much healing in this area, it’s still a daily challenge. After years of binge eating and compulsively overeating, I’ve come a long way, but the temptation to overeat or binge is still there.

I have prayed often for God to remove this thorn from my flesh. So far, His answer has been no.

Yet, I also see, just like Paul in this passage, how God is growing my faith in this area. I am continually humbled. I turn to Him for help in times of temptation. I see that God is strong where I am weak.

I haven’t given up on praying for God to take this issue from me. Whether He does or doesn’t, I’ll lean on Him for guidance.

Reflection Question

Do you have a “thorn in the flesh” issue that hasn’t gone away? How can you turn to God for help today?