2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV) 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Not only is Christ’s strength revealed to us through our weaknesses, but also his POWER.  We are promised not just to feel strong, but to be POWERFUL!  Strength implies to me that “I can make it, I can reach the end, I will finish…”  But POWER, that’s a whole new outlook!  “I will WIN, I will crush the enemy, I will be victorious!”  When hardships, or heart-break come to us, we are transformed into a POWERFUL warrior in Christ.

When life brings me to these moments of personal weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions or difficulties, let me be encouraged.  Dare I say be grateful?  Even delighted as Paul says he is.  When this happens, it means that an opportunity has arisen for Jesus to work POWERFULLY in my life.  Let me settle for nothing less than His powerful hand moving and guiding me through my areas of weakness. 

Jesus, so many times I just can’t get my eyes off of the hard things, the things that hurt me.  Let me have an understanding, that even IF I am focused on those things, that what I’m really focusing on is a miracle about to happen.  That in those areas of my heart, my attitude, my actions, that YOU are able and desiring to do something powerful in that place.  Help me to submit those areas to you, and to trust your work in them.  You are amazingly faithful and good to me.  I thank you for your grace that covers all of these areas that seem to constantly remind me of my weaknesses.  You are strong there, and you are POWERFUL.