After the bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building in 1995, Billy Graham addressed the grieving citizens. Mrs. Frank Keating, the governor’s wife, later recalled, “As he sat on the platform before his message, I saw a man with physical weakness. But when he stood up to speak, there was energy and vitality. And when he sat down, he was again a man of weakness.”

George Müller, 19th-century pastor and orphanage director, said this about weakness: “Our weakness gives opportunity for the power of the Lord Jesus Christ to be manifested. That blessed One never leaves and never forsakes us. The greater the weakness, the nearer He is to manifest His strength; the greater our necessities, the more have we ground to rely on it that He will prove Himself our Friend. This has been my experience for more than 70 years; the greater the trial, the greater the difficulty, the nearer the Lord’s help. . . . Therefore our business is just to pour out our hearts before Him; and help in His own time and way is sure to come.”

Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 12:10 are a paradox. Although we can’t explain it, we can experience it. With God, our weakness becomes our greatest strength.