Why We Need Infirmities

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

In the passage for this sermon, we see that Paul was afflicted with a “thorn in the flesh”. I will not speculate as to what exactly this infirmity was but just note it must have been a serious issue for Paul because he asked God 3 times to have it removed. Paul was denied by the Lord all three times and given the answer that God’s grace was sufficient for him and that God’s strength was made perfect through his weakness. Here we will look at some simple things from the passage that show us why we need infirmities sometimes in our lives.

Reasons we need infirmities:

1)  To keep us humble (verse 7)

• God hates pride and we are instructed many times throughout the word of God to be humbe (1 Peter 5:5-7)

2)  To keep us praying (verse 8)

• Prayer is the warrior’s resource (Ephesians 6:18) and Jesus gave a parable to the end that men ought always to pray and not to faint (Luke 18:1)
• Sadly, for many saved people, if not for infirmities they might never pray.

3)  To allow God to work through us (verse 9)

• God wants to use the weak things to show his great power (1 Corinthians 1:25)
• God wants to the world to see his power through us so that their faith rest in him and not in the wisdom of men (1 Corinthians 2:1-8)

4)  To keep us glorifying God and not ourselves (verse 9-10)

• Note in Galatians 1:24 that people glorified God in Paul and not Paul. This should be our desire and infirmities can help us to accomplish this.