And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
— 2 Corinthians 12:9
PAUL HAD WHAT he called “a thorn in the flesh”. Three times he asked the Lord to remove it and this passage of Scripture is God’s response: “My grace is sufficient for you.”
Life is filled with sorrow, pain, tragedy, disappointment, and grief. God does not promise us immunity from these things. The difference between the Christian and the non-Christian is that for the child of God, these experiences come through God’s filter. They only happen as God allows them to happen.
AFFLICTION OFTEN RESULTS IN OUR GREATEST SPIRITUAL GROWTH.
Suffering develops a deep relationship with God that seems unable to develop apart from affliction. Paul learned through the thorn in the flesh to praise God. The day came when Paul actually began to rejoice and thank God for that thorn in the flesh. He wrote: “For I reckon that the present sufferings are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). It changed his attitude completely. He no longer saw that thorn as a curse but as a blessing.
It is so important that we come to know and experience this all-sufficient grace because it will lead us through the darkest nights. It will help us smile through our disappointments. It is this grace that will sustain us when everything else fails. It is this grace that turns your cross into a crown.
Father, we thank You for Your all-sufficient grace which sustains us. May we rest in that grace when we need it most.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.