2 Corinthians 12:7-9
7To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surprisingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But 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.
We can't deny that there is suffering and tragedy in the world, suffering that is so often incomprehensible to us. We can look on a global scale, and see children being slaughtered for no good reason--or for any reason at all. In Iraq thousands of innocent people are being terrorized and tormented in the name of Islam. We can look on a national scale, and see friends and relatives of the victims of hurricane Katrina still trying to put their lives back together.
And, most importantly, we can look on a PERSONAL level, and see our own loved ones whose suffering we can't explain; our own friends who've lost children to accidents, or illness, before they've even had a chance to fully experience childhood, let alone adulthood; we see people within our family who've lost jobs, income, and along with it any sort of a sense of security, for no good reason, but just apparently by random chance; and we see our own personal weaknesses and infirmities, things that just don't seem FAIR.
We can't deny the reality of suffering and pain; and we can't deny either our own AGONY--there's no other good word for it--our agony as we try to work out just what's going on, and work out an answer to the question, How in the world can I get THROUGH this?
In 2 Corinthians 12, the apostle Paul writes about a particular form of suffering that he was forced to endure constantly--he refers to that mysterious, elusive "thorn of the flesh," or the "thorn in his side." What was he referring to, exactly? There's plenty of speculation in the academic world and in the church about just what exactly this "thorn in the flesh" was--there always has been, and there probably always will be.
Many commonly say that it was some sort of recurring physical pain, something that restricted Paul's ministry, something that seriously affected his ability to get around. Other have said that the "thorn" was Paul's opposition, those who sought to shut him up or take his life because of his message of salvation through Christ.
Some have guessed that the "thorn in the flesh" was some terrible habit or temptation that Paul simply couldn't shake. Others have come up with various theories: Some say Paul may have been epileptic, one writer asserted that Paul must have had recurring malarial fever, and on and on.
WE DON'T KNOW; it's that simple. But what we DO know is this: The thorn in the flesh was RECURRING, not a one-timer but a CONTINUAL problem for Paul; and furthermore, it was BAD, BAD, NOTHING BUT BAD. NOWHERE, EVER does Paul suggest in any way that there was anything good about his "thorn" in the flesh. Nowhere does he suggest that his problem was anything but a pure aberration, something absolutely bad in every possible way. And I imagine most of us can relate to that--for we too have experienced things, if not firsthand then at least by observing others, things that are NOT good, any way you slice them or try to dress them up.
Paul knew that suffering was a reality, just like you and I know it. Paul knew that tragedy and suffering can, and do, hit in such a way that there's simply nothing "good" or "positive" about it. And what else? Paul knew, too, THE PAIN OF HAVING CRIED OUT TO GOD TO TAKE THIS SUFFERING AWAY, to avert this tragedy, and NOT RECEIVING AN ANSWER--at least, not receiving the answer he wanted and needed. Paul knew what it was like to WONDER just what in the world God was up to! Have you ever wondered about that? I imagine most of you have. Paul knew what it was like to WONDER whether God was really in control or not, or if God really cared or not.
We don't understand everything there is to know about God's will--and never will, not in this life. It's true that we don't know all the details and dynamics about how God has chosen to relate to this world, God's creation; how God has willingly limited God's power in certain ways in order that we might enjoy free will, freedom of choice, and the freedom to find God personally. So we might think about it.
And the answer is right here. It's the same answer that God gave to Paul when he asked the question. Word for word, it's the same answer that God had for Paul when he cried out, asking, "Why, O Lord, won't you take away this thorn in my side?" "MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOU, FOR [MY] POWER IS MADE PERFECT IN WEAKNESS." There it is. That's your answer. It's not an answer that tries to ignore the real doubts and despair that can grab you when tragedy happens. It's not an answer that scolds you, and says, "How dare you question God, and what God chooses to do!?" It's not a glib answer that says, don't worry, God's got things under control, and nothing else. No, it's a REAL answer to that question of "Why? Why is it happening like this?" It assures us that God DOES indeed have things under control--but even more, it tells us how it is that our God, a loving, perfect God, can possibly permit us to experience suffering and tragedy like we do.
"My grace is sufficient for you..." My grace... God's grace... What does that mean? It means that God's grace is ENOUGH for us! It means that God's grace, and the fact that God freely extends that grace to us each day, each minute, anew, means that we will always have JUST ENOUGH, just enough to get us by--sometimes we won't have much more than that, sometimes we may not have ANY more than that--but we'll never have LESS than that. THAT'S what it means when we pray "if it be thy will! If it be your will, God, let there be healing, and recovery, let your grace provide a miracle--but if not, God, then let your grace provide comfort and sustain us."
God's grace is sufficient. Sometimes that grace will take the form of healing, a genuine miracle. Other times, when recovery or healing turns out to not be a part of the formula, God's grace will take the form of comfort, reassurance, genuine sustenance, giving strength in a time of absolute weakness, giving hope for tomorrow when otherwise there would be none to be found at all, giving a desire to go on living that otherwise might be about to fade away. "My grace is sufficient for you, for [my] power is made perfect in weakness"--or, we might say, thanks to God's grace, we can be assured that God's power will "kick in," somehow, in some way, when we need it the most. And THAT is an answer that will do us some good.
That is an answer that we can share with others who are hurting, and it's an answer that we can turn around and hear ourselves when it's WE who are hurting. God's grace is "sufficient..." It may not seem like much--God's comforting grace, God's sustaining grace--but when you're left with nothing at all, as we all are at times, God's grace will fill the room! At times when God's will is beyond our human comprehension, at times when it's beyond our ability to look into the future and try to determine what "good" might come out of this, GOD'S GRACE is there for us. It may not seem like much--but it is indeed sufficient. It IS INDEED the perfect answer to our prayers FOR WHEN WE ARE WEAK HE IS STRONG! AMEN!
Adapted By: Elder Michael L. Hargett
Copyright 2006 © MinTech, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
7To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surprisingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But 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.
We can't deny that there is suffering and tragedy in the world, suffering that is so often incomprehensible to us. We can look on a global scale, and see children being slaughtered for no good reason--or for any reason at all. In Iraq thousands of innocent people are being terrorized and tormented in the name of Islam. We can look on a national scale, and see friends and relatives of the victims of hurricane Katrina still trying to put their lives back together.
And, most importantly, we can look on a PERSONAL level, and see our own loved ones whose suffering we can't explain; our own friends who've lost children to accidents, or illness, before they've even had a chance to fully experience childhood, let alone adulthood; we see people within our family who've lost jobs, income, and along with it any sort of a sense of security, for no good reason, but just apparently by random chance; and we see our own personal weaknesses and infirmities, things that just don't seem FAIR.
We can't deny the reality of suffering and pain; and we can't deny either our own AGONY--there's no other good word for it--our agony as we try to work out just what's going on, and work out an answer to the question, How in the world can I get THROUGH this?
In 2 Corinthians 12, the apostle Paul writes about a particular form of suffering that he was forced to endure constantly--he refers to that mysterious, elusive "thorn of the flesh," or the "thorn in his side." What was he referring to, exactly? There's plenty of speculation in the academic world and in the church about just what exactly this "thorn in the flesh" was--there always has been, and there probably always will be.
Many commonly say that it was some sort of recurring physical pain, something that restricted Paul's ministry, something that seriously affected his ability to get around. Other have said that the "thorn" was Paul's opposition, those who sought to shut him up or take his life because of his message of salvation through Christ.
Some have guessed that the "thorn in the flesh" was some terrible habit or temptation that Paul simply couldn't shake. Others have come up with various theories: Some say Paul may have been epileptic, one writer asserted that Paul must have had recurring malarial fever, and on and on.
WE DON'T KNOW; it's that simple. But what we DO know is this: The thorn in the flesh was RECURRING, not a one-timer but a CONTINUAL problem for Paul; and furthermore, it was BAD, BAD, NOTHING BUT BAD. NOWHERE, EVER does Paul suggest in any way that there was anything good about his "thorn" in the flesh. Nowhere does he suggest that his problem was anything but a pure aberration, something absolutely bad in every possible way. And I imagine most of us can relate to that--for we too have experienced things, if not firsthand then at least by observing others, things that are NOT good, any way you slice them or try to dress them up.
Paul knew that suffering was a reality, just like you and I know it. Paul knew that tragedy and suffering can, and do, hit in such a way that there's simply nothing "good" or "positive" about it. And what else? Paul knew, too, THE PAIN OF HAVING CRIED OUT TO GOD TO TAKE THIS SUFFERING AWAY, to avert this tragedy, and NOT RECEIVING AN ANSWER--at least, not receiving the answer he wanted and needed. Paul knew what it was like to WONDER just what in the world God was up to! Have you ever wondered about that? I imagine most of you have. Paul knew what it was like to WONDER whether God was really in control or not, or if God really cared or not.
We don't understand everything there is to know about God's will--and never will, not in this life. It's true that we don't know all the details and dynamics about how God has chosen to relate to this world, God's creation; how God has willingly limited God's power in certain ways in order that we might enjoy free will, freedom of choice, and the freedom to find God personally. So we might think about it.
And the answer is right here. It's the same answer that God gave to Paul when he asked the question. Word for word, it's the same answer that God had for Paul when he cried out, asking, "Why, O Lord, won't you take away this thorn in my side?" "MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOU, FOR [MY] POWER IS MADE PERFECT IN WEAKNESS." There it is. That's your answer. It's not an answer that tries to ignore the real doubts and despair that can grab you when tragedy happens. It's not an answer that scolds you, and says, "How dare you question God, and what God chooses to do!?" It's not a glib answer that says, don't worry, God's got things under control, and nothing else. No, it's a REAL answer to that question of "Why? Why is it happening like this?" It assures us that God DOES indeed have things under control--but even more, it tells us how it is that our God, a loving, perfect God, can possibly permit us to experience suffering and tragedy like we do.
"My grace is sufficient for you..." My grace... God's grace... What does that mean? It means that God's grace is ENOUGH for us! It means that God's grace, and the fact that God freely extends that grace to us each day, each minute, anew, means that we will always have JUST ENOUGH, just enough to get us by--sometimes we won't have much more than that, sometimes we may not have ANY more than that--but we'll never have LESS than that. THAT'S what it means when we pray "if it be thy will! If it be your will, God, let there be healing, and recovery, let your grace provide a miracle--but if not, God, then let your grace provide comfort and sustain us."
God's grace is sufficient. Sometimes that grace will take the form of healing, a genuine miracle. Other times, when recovery or healing turns out to not be a part of the formula, God's grace will take the form of comfort, reassurance, genuine sustenance, giving strength in a time of absolute weakness, giving hope for tomorrow when otherwise there would be none to be found at all, giving a desire to go on living that otherwise might be about to fade away. "My grace is sufficient for you, for [my] power is made perfect in weakness"--or, we might say, thanks to God's grace, we can be assured that God's power will "kick in," somehow, in some way, when we need it the most. And THAT is an answer that will do us some good.
That is an answer that we can share with others who are hurting, and it's an answer that we can turn around and hear ourselves when it's WE who are hurting. God's grace is "sufficient..." It may not seem like much--God's comforting grace, God's sustaining grace--but when you're left with nothing at all, as we all are at times, God's grace will fill the room! At times when God's will is beyond our human comprehension, at times when it's beyond our ability to look into the future and try to determine what "good" might come out of this, GOD'S GRACE is there for us. It may not seem like much--but it is indeed sufficient. It IS INDEED the perfect answer to our prayers FOR WHEN WE ARE WEAK HE IS STRONG! AMEN!
Adapted By: Elder Michael L. Hargett
Copyright 2006 © MinTech, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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