"My grace is sufficient for you" Words that the Lord spoke to the Apostle Paul. Paul had what he described as a thorn in his flesh. He asked, no he begged, the Lord 3 times to remove it. And here is Paul, the same man who when his shadow fell on a person they were healed, is begging the Lord to remove this "thorn in his side." And the Lord basically said "No", My grace is sufficient for you." So what was Paul's option? He had to cope with it.
Have you ever had a nagging problem, a problem that makes you very uncomfortable. You have prayed, and prayed and prayed for the Lord to take it away - You call on the name of Jesus, you get anointed with oil, you fast, you pray some more, you rebuke the devil, you cry out to the Lord...and nothing happens. Maybe, just maybe, the Lord is trying to say..."My grace is sufficient for you." I can hear people right now saying ..."Tim, that's not what I want to hear ! That's not the way it's suppose to be!" I'm not saying that this is your reality, I'm just saying that maybe it's a possibility.
One thing that I have noticed in my 4 decades of life is that most people don't like discomfort. I know that I don't. It's hard, it's a struggle, it can be tiring, it can be frustrating, it can be agonizing....but it's rewarding. It's knowing that I ultimately am not in control. It's knowing that the Lord is helping me cope. The trick of dealing with the discomfort is knowing that the Lord is with you during this time. The prophet Nahum said - "The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him."
So the question is, what am I going to do? Am I going to complain, get bitter, get mad, or allow myself to wallow in self pity? Or am I going to rely on God's grace, God's comfort, God's wisdom? He did say - "Paul, my grace is sufficient for you. My power is strongest when you are weak."
I choose to rely on God's grace.
Have a good day friends.
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