Understanding God’s Strength in Weakness
2 Corinthians 12:9- “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” This verse in scripture defines my powerlessness over alcohol or any other addiction completely.
God’s Strength in Recovery
For me, 2 Corinthians 12:9 speaks directly to the heart of recovery: God meets us with strength when our own strength ends. Another recovery-centered way to say this is: “God works His perfect will through imperfect people.”
Finding Grace in Brokenness
Today, I acknowledge my brokenness and rely on God for the strength to stay sober. However, in early recovery, I did not yet understand that truth. I felt ashamed of my past actions, and I needed reassurance that God could forgive my brokenness and begin the healing process. Through the Twelve Steps, I realized that alcoholism became part of the journey I had to walk through to reach sobriety on the other side—by the grace of God and for His work. As the saying goes, “it takes what it takes.”
When God Says No
Yet I experienced my deepest awakening when I understood God’s response in 2 Corinthians 12:9. Paul pleaded with God to remove his “thorn in the flesh,” but God did not take it away. In my own life, alcoholism became my thorn, and God also said “no” to removing it. Instead, He gave this broken and imperfect man the strength to do His work. God called me to carry the message to others who still suffered. How else could someone in pain learn to trust another person with their own plea?
Weakness Becomes a Doorway to Purpose
In the end, pain and suffering create common bonds in recovery from alcoholism. In our greatest weakness, God gives us the greatest opportunity to rely on His strength for His purpose. That is why I have come to believe, “it takes what it takes” to live freely under God’s will.
Reflection: Where do you need to stop relying on your own strength and invite God’s power to work through your weakness today?