God’s Grace is Enough

“And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.  Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”  II Corinthians 12:9-10

Most everyone desires to be strong, healthy, intelligent, and successful in whatever endeavor they pursue.  Some want to be beautiful, popular, and perhaps famous.  As far as desiring to be wise, I wonder, judging by how the world is teetering on the brink of collapse, if not total destruction, if wisdom is a goal of very many folks.  Knowledge and success are practically futile if one is not wise.  The majority of people are usually more concerned about their physical world than their spiritual world.  It should be the other way around, but I guess that goes back to the lack of wisdom among earth’s inhabitants.

If anyone had anything to boast about his success, it would have been the Apostle Paul.  In my opinion, he is the greatest evangelist and author of Christian doctrine, other than God, that has ever lived.  No one has been able to match his success.  Some modern-day evangelists have come close, but none of them have had to endure the number of obstacles and persecutions that Paul did.  It must have been tempting to “toot his own horn”, but he did not allow himself to fall into that trap.  That was smart because if he was a braggart, some might have placed him on a pedestal but then might discover that they had made a mistake because he wasn’t as great as they had been led to believe.  In other words, Paul was very conscientious that his “walk” matches his “talk”.  I can’t imagine finding any big mistakes that Paul made, but those of his day certainly tried.

Paul was no different than most humans in that he fought pride in his heart.  He was not overly prideful as some folks are, but because he still possessed a sin nature, he had to be careful particularly concerning temptations to boast of his important and vital ministry.  Since God knew Paul better than Paul knew himself, God allowed him to have a “thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet”, that is, cause him to struggle.  We do not know what this was that caused him to remain humble.  Some think it was a physical affliction, poor eyesight, or possibly the persecutions and indignities done to him by his enemies.  Whatever it was, it kept him grounded in his faith and willing to remain a humble servant of the Lord, dependent upon Him for strength, courage, and the ability to continue to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ wherever the Lord led him.  He certainly didn’t let it stop him.

Of course, like all of us do, Paul asked the Lord to remove this “thorn” three times.  I don’t think that anyone likes to be in pain, anxiety, or limited in one’s activities, and neither did Paul.  There is nothing wrong in asking for healing, for a cure, or for the limitation to be removed.  God certainly has the power to do so.  However, it may not be in His plan to remove that which afflicts us for there is a reason for it.  God has a reason, a good reason, for everything He does.  He did in Paul’s case.  When Paul prayed, God gave him an answer:  “My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness”.  God told Paul that His grace was all that Paul needed, and that His power was most evident in those who were weak.  This meant that Paul had nothing to worry about or fet over because God was always with him, and everything that Paul experienced was according to God’s plan.

Sometimes the Lord uses adversity to fulfill His plans.  Paul understood God’s answer to him leading him to boast in the Lord about being someone whom God could use to further His kingdom regardless of his infirmities.  He felt privileged to be of use to the Lord even in his suffering.  He decided to see his infirmities, reproaches, necessities, persecutions, and distresses in a new light, the Light of Christ rather than as hindrances to his ministry.  He understood that his weakness was actually a positive thing in that it allowed the Lord to provide Paul with God’s own strength.  Much more can be accomplished by the power of Christ in those who humble themselves and seek God’s help and strength in their endeavors.  That is not only true in the spiritual realm, but the physical world as well.  If we understand that we are weak in ourselves, that gives us incentive to depend on the Lord’s strength.  If we think we don’t need the Lord’s help, we will fail, but if we know our limitations, God will supply whatever we need to serve Him.  Paul was joyful to accept God’s promise.

A modern-day example of God’s strength made perfect in weakness is Joni Earickson Tada.  She was paralyzed from the shoulders down in a diving accident when she was 17 years old.  Not only was she extremely limited in her abilities, but she suffered depression.  However, she has come to be a Christian woman known worldwide who has spent many years spreading the gospel and supporting people with disabilities.  I am sure that she could tell us all about the wonders of the grace of God on her life.  Where would any of us be without the sufficient and unlimited grace of God?