 When Paul wrote these words, he was being harassed everywhere he went by an evil spirit that he referred to as a thorn in the flesh. It was a messenger sent from Satan to buffet him, to constantly harass him. The constant harassment of this spirit finally got to him, and he begged God three times to take it away. Paul was clearly at the end of his rope. But even though Paul prayed for God's intervention three times, the spirit did not depart. And God's response to Paul was the verse that we just read. His strength is made perfect in weakness.