Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave 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 of my weakness, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:8-9
Are you facing a situation or in a season that seems beyond what you can handle? It may be a relationship, illness, grief, finances. Do you feel stuck in a corner with no way out? No hope or light at the end of the tunnel? Whatever your situation is, know that you are in teh crosshairs of grace. Remember that God’s grace is sufficient for you. God’s grace enables all of us believers to endure the deepest pain.
The apostle Paul knew what its was to endure hardship and pain. He suffered rejection and persecution that would cause anyone to give up. Paul was afflicted with some kind of thorn in his flesh that caused him great pain. Paul asked three times to remove it, however God didn’t. Instead God gave him what he needed in that moment to deal with the thorn in his flesh and it turned out to be a blessing to Paul. What do you learn from 2 Corinthians 12:8-9? What is revealed about God’s grace? How does our weakness and needs show Gods power? How did Paul respond to the assurance of God’s grace?
Peter’s epistles were written to strengthen and encourage believers who were going throgh intense suffering. God’s grace is prominent theme in his letters. Paul said at the end of 1 Peter taht God’ of all grace is actively, directly, and personally involved in the lives of HIs children, even when we are suffering and feeling tht he has forgetten them, “After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 1 Peter 5:10
What comfort does this verse give you if you are suffering? What does this verse tell us about the purpose of God for our lives and eventual outcome of our suffering? How can God’s grace transform our suffering into something of importance and beauty?
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for your grace in the midde of our suffering. I pray that we will keep seeking you when we are suffering. I pray that we will not harden our heart towards you but to see your glory in the middle of all the suffering.
In Jesus Name
Amen
