Sufficient

Have you ever been reading through Scripture and caught yourself glazing over the passages that you've known all your life.  They're so familiar that you don't take the time to stop and really let them sink in. But I love when those exact same verses coming roaring back with renewed meaning and strength during certain seasons of life. God's Word is living and active, and I'm so thankful He still breathes life into our hearts through His Word.

I watched a North Point service online this weekend, and one of those verses has caught my heart and mind with a new depth.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians how he pleaded with God multiple times to take away a "thorn in his flesh". It was a torment to him. But despite his prayers, God says "No" outright.

Wouldn't you think that with all the incredible work that Paul was doing to spread the gospel, God might step in and help him out?  Wouldn't you think that Paul would be so much more effective if God would take away the thing that was ailing Paul?  Wouldn't you think God would want to make Paul as strong as possible so that he could do even greater things through him?

But God said, "No." 

Really?!  Why, God?! 

And then in verse 9, we see how God spoke into Paul's situation and Paul's subsequent response:

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 weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

I love how Andy Stanley explains it: While we have permission to ask God to remove our thorns, God has the right to say no to our requests. God may choose to showcase His power on the stage of our weakness, but the question lies in how we are going to respond.

Are we going to question if God exists? Will we question His wisdom or falter in our willingness to trust Him? Do we continue to struggle to deal with the situation in our own strength? Or do we instead submit to God, trust that He is in control, and accept His answer of no. Because when we do, God gives us something in return - sustaining grace. His strength in our weakness is proof of His presence in our life. In our weakness, we will find that His power will sustain us through even our most difficult circumstances, and His grace is sufficient to cover every need.