SCRIPTURE: Concerning this I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might leave me; but He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:8-9 AMP
THOUGHT: Sometimes, God says ‘no’ to our dearest requests, and what we do with his answer is very, very important.
Paul, who suffered through so many hardships and learned contentment on the journey, now had to learn grace through a different type of hardship, his “thorn in the flesh.” Something was wrong in his body — most believe it was his eyesight. Whatever it was, it represented a weakness to him, compelling him to rely on others when he probably would have rather been “self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency,” as our text yesterday said. Do you know anyone like that?
Perhaps Paul had learned to offer grace to others but not himself or those he worked most closely with. He was hard driven, singularly focused, and on a mission for Christ. At one point, he disagreed so vehemently with his beloved ministry partner, Barnabas, that they went separate ways. The two are inseparable in Acts 9-15, always ministering together, but at the end of chapter 15, Barnabas disappears into Cyprus and is not mentioned again in the final 13 chapters of Acts.
The thought for today is that God has his reasons when the answer is ‘no.’ It may be about learning for ourselves that his grace is enough, perfected through what we consider our weaknesses. No healing is necessary so that we can push harder and further. Brokenness is necessary so that we might learn God’s grace, and be able to offer it to others too.
PRAYER: Thank you, God, for all your ‘yeses’ to me. And thank you, God, for the ‘no’s’ too. As hard as it is to hear that word, I trust you. Your grace is sufficient for me, and somehow your power is being perfected in my weaknesses. Help me learn the lessons of grace, for the sake of myself and others.
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Blogger Amy Clemens is the author of Walking When You’d Rather Fly: Meditations on Faith After the Fall. In it she explores childhood sexual abuse and how it impacted her faith (or lack thereof) for four decades. You’ll find not only her story, but better yet, the Big Story of God.
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