Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 2 Corinthians 12:9

"And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for [my] power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." — 2 Corinthians 12:9 (ASV)

The answer to Paul’s prayer did not take the form he had expected. The thorn remained, but so did his recollection of the divine reply. In the distress inflicted at various times by his ailment, God promised that Paul would never lack sufficient grace to overcome it (cf. Romans 8:35–37). This grace of Christ (13:11) was adequate for him precisely because divine power finds its full scope and strength only in human weakness—the greater the Christian’s acknowledged weakness, the more evident Christ’s enabling strength (cf. Ephesians 3:16). The cross of Christ forms the supreme example of “powerin-weakness” . With this spiritual lesson well learned, Paul indicates he would prefer to boast about the sorts of things that exposed his weakness rather than to pray for the removal of the thorn. It was not, however, in the weaknesses themselves that Paul took delight but in the opportunity that such sufferings endured “for Christ’s sake” afforded him for Christ’s power to be effective in his life.