His Grace is Enough

Most of us are familiar with the feeling of what Paul describes in today’s reading from 2 Corinthians 12 – pleading with God in prayer to move in our lives, only to be given an answer that we didn’t seek.  It can be frustrating, discouraging or disheartening.  It can even be a faith buster for some people.

I’ve been there.  When I was 12 years old, my best friend Scott became gravely ill from a congenital blood defect that had remained hidden his entire life.  I begged and pleaded and bargained with God to heal my friend and to restore his health, but he died after a few weeks in Children’s Hospital.  It was, for a season of my life, a faith buster.  I was ready to give up on God.

I bet that most of you have been in similar situations as well.  Praying for yourself or a family member.  Praying for friends.  Praying for neighbors or co-workers.  And God doesn’t do what we’re praying for Him to do. 

Paul describes – somewhat vaguely – in v.7 a thorn in the flesh that was given to him.  We know that it was from Satan.  And we know that it tormented him.  Much ink has been spilled debating whether this thorn was a physical malady or some spiritual weakness.  Quite simply, we don’t know.  But we do know that the Lord brought this to Paul to humble him and to keep him from being conceited. 

Being humbled by God can be a frustrating and painful thing.  Charles Spurgeon – one of the greatest preachers in history – said this, "I believe every Christian man has a choice between being humble and being humbled."  Whether we are aware of our own need to be more humble, or whether God acts in his sovereignty to humble us, it hurts!  But God humbles us, and invites us to humble ourselves, for a greater purpose!  Even in humiliation and times of frustration, we can know that God is at work because He loves us and because He wants to make us more like Jesus.

Paul explains God’s answer to his humiliation and frustration with this thorn in a way that may not satisfy our desire to know everything and to have everything work out the way we want it to.  God’s answer to Paul was this: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

What was Paul’s problem?  Was it that he didn’t have enough faith?  Was it that he didn’t pray enough?  Was it that he didn’t do enough for God?  Hardly!  In the chapters leading up to chapter 12, and even in the beginning of chapter 12, Paul spends considerable time defending his ministry to the Corinthians.  He talks about all that he’s done and given for the sake of the Kingdom of God.  He talks about how God has used him as a messenger, and about the miracles he’s performed by the power of The Holy Spirit.  “The man,” that he refers to in v.v. 2&3 is himself – a man who has seen visions of heaven and been given supernatural revelation about the things of God.  If ever there was a man who was living righteously and knew God’s power to do miraculous things, it was Paul!

But part of the process for Paul in becoming more and more like Jesus would be to continue to struggle against this thorn in the flesh.  For the rest of his life, as he struggled, he would have to learn what it meant to live by grace and he would have to learn what it meant to rely on God’s power instead of his own power in this area of his life. 

God brought Paul to a place in his life and ministry where Paul realized that his weaknesses were the crucible where the power of Jesus could become more and more evident in his life.  As he struggled against this thorn, it was a reminder to Paul that he was not in control of his life, but that God was.  As he struggled against this thorn, it was a reminder to Paul that even when we don’t like the outcome of our praying and seeking God, that the gift of grace to endure the hardship is one of the most precious things that God can give us.  This is why Paul was able to confidently say in v.v. 9&10, “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.”

Most of us have a real aversion to having our weaknesses exposed.  Most of us have a real aversion to insults, hardships, persecution and difficulty.  After all, for most of our Christian lives we’re taught that “real” Christians or “strong” Christians never have anything go wrong at all.  But real faith means first of all admitting our weaknesses - our sin, our brokenness, and those areas of our lives in which we seemingly struggle all of the time.  Until we realize our need for a Savior and His grace in our lives, the Good News isn't good at all. 

The life of faith – the life of following Jesus and becoming like him – isn’t a life of sunshine, lollipops and rainbow colored unicorns.  It’s a life in which we’re invited to take up our crosses and follow Jesus to become like him.  It’s a life in which we’re invited to come and die to ourselves and to find life in a Savior that was very well acquainted with suffering and hardship.  But it’s a life in which we’re invited to follow a Savior who has conquered sin, death and hell by being raised from the dead and who pours out his grace and power in our times of weakness because He has been where we are!