“He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you; My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (II Corinthians 12:9).

The Apostle knew by experience the grace and power of Christ. His weakness in himself was his door to the Glory of God. The LORD spoke such a marvelous truth to Paul when He said, “My strength is made perfect in weakness.” In that hallowed state there is no boasting in the strength of man, no boasting in the wisdom of man, nor the excellence of man; the only boasting and glory is in the LORD.

“We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us” (II Corinthians 4:7). These earthen vessels, our mortal bodies, are the doorways to the “grace that is sufficient”, to the glory that excels in all things, that excellent glory of the Father and the Son (cf. II Peter 1:17).

Infirmities: (Gr. Asthenes), Weakness of mind or body; without moral or physical strength; sickness, disease, impotent

There must be no competition between the strength of man and the power of God. There must be a complete surrender of our confidence, competence and self-sufficiency to the all surpassing power, glory and sufficiency of the LORD. Again we hear the words and wisdom of the Apostle: “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but out sufficiency is of God” (II Corinthians 3:5). “God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that, you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work” (II Corinthians 9:8).

What a wonderful knowing it is to have the understanding that we really can “do all things through Christ Who strengthens” us (Philippians 4:13). Strengthens us in our infirmities, in our weakness, in our earthen vessels.

In whatever we do the Holy Spirit is our Helper; even when we pray. “The Spirit helps us in our infirmities; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit makes intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26).

Our weakness, our infirmities is our door to Glory. When we call on God out of our infirmities, the door to the Glory of God opens before us.

To the Church at Philadelphia [Philadelphia! 01/11/21] the LORD spoke these words to the Apostle John in his vision “And to the Angel of the Church in Philadelphia write: These things says He that is Holy, He that is True, He that has the Key of David, He that opens and no man shuts; and shuts and no man opens. I know your works; behold, I have set before you an open door, and no man can shut it; for you have a little strength, and has kept My Word, and has not denied My Name” (Revelation 3:7-8).

Through our infirmities we can still be true; we can still be faithful; we can keep the Word of God securely in our hearts by faith, and never deny His matchless Name. Oh, the Glory to be revealed to us and to follow through us by His marvelous Grace.

The Apostle Peter wrote concerning the Prophets of old, who went about “Searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the Glory that should follow” (I Peter 1:11). Indeed, Christ came in the form of man, suffered for us and took upon Himself all our infirmities (cf. Isaiah 53); then gloriously rose from the dead and ascended into the Glory of the Father (cf. John 17).

The very One Who is the Door showed us by His example the Truth of that which the Spirit is speaking to us today. Infirmity is the Door to Glory. Out of weakness, we are made strong. Out of death, we rise. Out of the earthen we are made heavenly. We pass through the Door from mortal to immortality into the Glory of God.

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