HIS GRACE IS SUFFICIENT
To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.†Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
This passage is probably very familiar to you. Our Pastor has been preaching from Corinthians and recently, we found ourselves looking at Paul and his conflict with the thorn in his flesh.
One of the first statements my Pastor made is:
“God is not here for us, we are here for Him.â€
But, wait!? Doesn’t He want me to come to Him with my troubles? Doesn’t He want me to cry out to Him? Doesn’t He want me to cast my cares on Him?
Absolutely! But it seems more and more, we hear about people who are in an all-out standoff with the Creator of this world because life isn’t fair.
In this passage, Paul is speaking about the thorn in his flesh. The Bible never tells us exactly what his thorn was. This passage tells us that Paul pleaded with the Lord to remove the thorn, but He did not. What would you say is the “thorn†in your life? Have you pleaded with the Lord for Him to remove it? What if we do not need the Lord to remove the thorn, but, like Paul, we need His grace to help us endure it? Could that thorn actually be a blessing?
When your life is going along with no conflict, no need for rescue, are you dependent on the Lord or do you find yourself depending on your own strength? Our Savior wants us to depend on Him. That is what Paul did and how he could say…
That is why for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10
I can think of a few thorns I would rather have done without over the last few years. I have had some thorns that seem to tug and pull at my skin, making it feel as if someone was pouring peroxide in an open wound. As a teenager, I felt I was the cause of my parent’s divorce, “Ouch, the thorn is pulling.â€
As a young married couple, my husband and I faced over two years of infertility, “The pain of the thorn is too much.†We have faced job loss, financial pressures, the death of a child, the realization that another child has severe medical problems. My plea was often, “Lord, I can’t take the pain, please remove the thorn.†His response? “My grace is sufficient…â€
Through all of these circumstances we have prayed that the Lord would use these situations for His glory. There have also been prayers of pleading, mixed with some good old fashioned whining, that the Lord would just show us the quick fix so the pain would stop.
It seems like each time I have a day where the thorn seems to be tugging at my skin, the Lord reminds me of His grace and how He has transformed me through these trials.
What is your thorn? Is it your marriage? Is it your stand? Is your skin tender from the thorns tugging at your body? Have you seen blessings in your trials? Have you grown closer to the Lord? Are you relying fully on Him to meet your needs? Have you been able to show your spouse Christ’s love, even in the bad situations? Can you say that His grace is sufficient?
Our goal should be to glorify Christ and become more like Him. In my life, I know that had I not had the thorns, I wouldn’t have received the blessings that came as a result of those thorns. I am talking about blessings that are far more valuable than rubies and gold. There were some teen years that were less than pleasant, as I lived life as a child of divorce. I never expected to be able to love and trust my dad again, much less work in ministry with him. The Lord used that time in my life to help me depend on Him so I would be prepared for what was ahead of me. The Lord has shown me over and over again that He will turn my sorrow into joy.
Our Lord is enough! He is able to heal your broken heart and give you a fresh new love for Him and His Word. Ask Him to help you see what He is doing through the thorns He is allowing in your life. If you focus on Him, I am certain you will find His blessings all around you. His grace is sufficient!
Today, I challenge you to read about Paul and his ministry in 2 Corinthians. He endured so much. Yet, Paul trusted the Lord, proclaiming in verse 9 that he would “boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so Christ’s power may rest on me.â€
When we are weak, then He is made strong!
God bless you,
Lori Steinkamp Lassen
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.
To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.†Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
This passage is probably very familiar to you. Our Pastor has been preaching from Corinthians and recently, we found ourselves looking at Paul and his conflict with the thorn in his flesh.
One of the first statements my Pastor made is:
“God is not here for us, we are here for Him.â€
But, wait!? Doesn’t He want me to come to Him with my troubles? Doesn’t He want me to cry out to Him? Doesn’t He want me to cast my cares on Him?
Absolutely! But it seems more and more, we hear about people who are in an all-out standoff with the Creator of this world because life isn’t fair.
In this passage, Paul is speaking about the thorn in his flesh. The Bible never tells us exactly what his thorn was. This passage tells us that Paul pleaded with the Lord to remove the thorn, but He did not. What would you say is the “thorn†in your life? Have you pleaded with the Lord for Him to remove it? What if we do not need the Lord to remove the thorn, but, like Paul, we need His grace to help us endure it? Could that thorn actually be a blessing?
When your life is going along with no conflict, no need for rescue, are you dependent on the Lord or do you find yourself depending on your own strength? Our Savior wants us to depend on Him. That is what Paul did and how he could say…
That is why for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10
I can think of a few thorns I would rather have done without over the last few years. I have had some thorns that seem to tug and pull at my skin, making it feel as if someone was pouring peroxide in an open wound. As a teenager, I felt I was the cause of my parent’s divorce, “Ouch, the thorn is pulling.â€
As a young married couple, my husband and I faced over two years of infertility, “The pain of the thorn is too much.†We have faced job loss, financial pressures, the death of a child, the realization that another child has severe medical problems. My plea was often, “Lord, I can’t take the pain, please remove the thorn.†His response? “My grace is sufficient…â€
Through all of these circumstances we have prayed that the Lord would use these situations for His glory. There have also been prayers of pleading, mixed with some good old fashioned whining, that the Lord would just show us the quick fix so the pain would stop.
It seems like each time I have a day where the thorn seems to be tugging at my skin, the Lord reminds me of His grace and how He has transformed me through these trials.
What is your thorn? Is it your marriage? Is it your stand? Is your skin tender from the thorns tugging at your body? Have you seen blessings in your trials? Have you grown closer to the Lord? Are you relying fully on Him to meet your needs? Have you been able to show your spouse Christ’s love, even in the bad situations? Can you say that His grace is sufficient?
Our goal should be to glorify Christ and become more like Him. In my life, I know that had I not had the thorns, I wouldn’t have received the blessings that came as a result of those thorns. I am talking about blessings that are far more valuable than rubies and gold. There were some teen years that were less than pleasant, as I lived life as a child of divorce. I never expected to be able to love and trust my dad again, much less work in ministry with him. The Lord used that time in my life to help me depend on Him so I would be prepared for what was ahead of me. The Lord has shown me over and over again that He will turn my sorrow into joy.
Our Lord is enough! He is able to heal your broken heart and give you a fresh new love for Him and His Word. Ask Him to help you see what He is doing through the thorns He is allowing in your life. If you focus on Him, I am certain you will find His blessings all around you. His grace is sufficient!
Today, I challenge you to read about Paul and his ministry in 2 Corinthians. He endured so much. Yet, Paul trusted the Lord, proclaiming in verse 9 that he would “boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so Christ’s power may rest on me.â€
When we are weak, then He is made strong!
God bless you,
Lori Steinkamp Lassen
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.
