WRITTEN BY MICHELE HANSEN
But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:1-10, NIV)
When we are in the weeds, or our life is a pile of broken dreams, or we have a physical infirmity that steals our hope, this scripture has the potential to make us just a little cranky. Ok, maybe it’s just me, but I do not like feeling weak.
I have to be honest here. I used to struggle with this verse because when I would read it, I would focus on the part that felt like God was saying, “I could (heal, restore, provide, take away, prosper) do all these things, but I’m not going to because I am more than enough for you. (*snarl*)
Fine. I’ll just (wine about it, gut it out, be angry, sullen, mopey, sarcastic, defeated…)
Yup. That’s exactly what God wanted me to do.
Not.
So, after allowing myself to wallow in self-pity and anxiety, mixed with anger, resentment and being generally a pain in the caboose, I got the bright idea to maybe talk to God about what He wanted me to do…(Genius)
This journey has been a long one. It will also continue until I am with my Father who art in Heaven. However, I do feel like I have a little bit more of a handle on things, thanks to the Lord and His amazing grace.
Why would a loving God allow His kids to suffer? That’s the question we ask, isn’t it? He didn’t take away Paul’s “thorn”, and he had asked multiple times. God would reply, “My grace is sufficient.”
Paul’s journey with the Lord would take him from a Pharisaical, proud, extremely intelligent, rule keeper, to the (arguably) greatest missionary to the Gentiles (that’s the non-Jewish people). He was very self-sufficient. In his words, he was a “Pharisee of Pharisees” …cream of the crop…he was the top of his game and knew it.
In the process of humbling this servant of God and yet use all the tools He had given Paul; the Lord started the journey of refining him by knocking him off his horse and blinding him.
Extreme, wouldn’t you say? Not in the Lord’s eyes. God tailored Paul’s refining and honing to a fine point. He knew Paul would have to be in a place of total surrender and submission so that He could use Paul in the most amazing and soul redeeming ways. And we were given the scriptures, like a biography of Paul’s life, to see how our amazing God works in the life of a truly submitted child of the King.
God had taken Paul through visions that he couldn’t talk about, journeys that almost got him killed…several times…planting numerous churches, all on display in the scriptures to be a lesson for us.
Yet in this passage of scripture, Paul says he will not boast in himself. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. (2 Cor 12:7b). He says he will boast in his weakness because in his weakness the display of power from God will be evident.
Here’s an interesting point to me. Paul didn’t deny that he was fully capable and would be correct in boasting of all he, himself, had accomplished. By the time this passage was written, Paul had discovered the truth of total and complete surrender to the power of God and was determined not to steal God’s glory by elevating himself…even though he could. He would boast in the weakness that he prayed God would remove from him…three times! He knew God was keeping him in a place of humility in order to manifest His own mighty power and grace. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. (2 Cor 12:8b)
I am no Paul. I can get my nose out of joint when my efforts are not recognized, or I am feeling maligned. God uses this passage in my heart to bring me back to center. His center.
God’s grace is sufficient to give me what I need every day to make sure that my life is an
“up arrow” for the Lord.
It is not easy at all. We are talking about leaving my pride at the foot of the cross. It means trusting God to supply all my needs and to make Himself famous through my life. God doesn’t need me, He wants me. He wants to show Himself a gracious Savior in and through all my difficulties, all my triumphs, all my life. In His sufficient grace is everything I need to walk out this life in full surrender and submission to Him and display His righteousness to the world, one soul at a time if need be.
Again, I stress, this work of humility from the Lord is meant to raise Him high and to bring us His goodness. It doesn’t always feel good, many times it is a battle to surrender, but God is always good, His ways are always right, His will is always accomplished, His plans are always for our good and His glory.
Life…it’s hard, dear saint, with the Lord or without. If you doubt, it’s ok, He will be faithful to bring you through. If it is impossible, know that He is the God of possible. We will learn to seek Him and His grace through the hard of life. He is never far; He is always able, and He knows what He is doing. Talk to Him. He will give you what you need. His grace truly is amazing.
