But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
This is one of the stranger sentences in the Bible if you actually stop on it: a man asked for his weakness to be taken away, was told no, and responded by boasting about the weakness instead. Not gritting his teeth through it — boasting in it.
That only makes sense with the line right before it: "My power is made perfect in weakness." Most of what you've probably heard about religion sells strength — cleaned-up people, together lives, confidence as proof of faith. This verse says something closer to the opposite. It claims God's power doesn't need your strength to work through. It specifically shows up where your strength runs out.
If you've stayed away from faith because you don't feel like you've got it together enough to qualify, this verse is aimed directly at that. It doesn't ask you to get stronger first. It suggests your weakness might be exactly the place this power is looking for.
If you've held back from faith because you don't feel strong enough for it, it might be worth discovering a God who says that's not the requirement.
A short video on this is coming soon — for now, read on.