2 Corinthians 12:9 (ASV)

Passage

And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for [my] power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Nearby Context

2 Corinthians 12:7 And by reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted overmuch, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, that I should not be exalted overmuch.

2 Corinthians 12:8 Concerning this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

2 Corinthians 12:9 And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for [my] power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2 Corinthians 12:10 Wherefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ`s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

2 Corinthians 12:11 I am become foolish: ye compelled me; for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing was I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I am nothing.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "grace", "hath", "said", "sufficient", "thee", "power", "perfect", and "weakness". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "grace" and "hath", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "Concerning this thing I besought the Lord..." into verse 10's "Wherefore I take pleasure in weaknesses in...", so "grace" and "hath" belong inside that flow. In 2 Corinthians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "grace" and "hath" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.