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.
2 Corinthians 12:9 KJV
The context: Paul had received amazing revelations. He had seen into levels of heavens that were not revealed to most men. Now the clincher: how does a mere mortal man handle these revelations without losing sight of the One who is the Revelation of God Himself? So God put a thorn in Paul's flesh, a reminder that whatever he held in his hands wasn't as important as the God who was holding Paul in his own hands. God, who could see ahead, permitted this thorn as a constant reminder to Paul never to think he could be sufficient of himself. The lesson is personal: the presents of God are not as important as the Presence of God.
This thorn must have been pretty hard on Paul, for him to go to God thrice, asking that it be taken away from him. There is nothing I cannot take to God in prayer, as there is nothing about me that can escape his attention. But this is the small nudge: God allowed a messenger of Satan to buffet his servant, to keep his servant from pride. There is no price that God has not paid to ensure we make it to heaven at the end of our walk and work on earth. He prunes, disciplines and disciples, because He is more interested in my eternal reality than my earthly comfort. He didn't do all He did so I could coast through life, but that I be strengthened by His power to face and overcome trials, and that His light and life may shine out in and through me. I must not think that some situations are beneath me; if God knows it will lead me down the right path, He will definitely bring it my way.
Paul prayed. He didn't make a church doctrine out of it, but he made it a point of testimony. He asked God to take it away, but he also left room for God to be glorified, whichever way it ended. Can I give up control to God this way, allowing Him do with my life whatever He pleases? Paul went to God thrice, and he got the same answer each time. He was sure this was God's will, so there was no point fighting it. Rather than complain, he relied on the God who calls and equips to enable him bear the pain and make a success of his ministry. If a man with a thorn in his flesh could impact the early church the way Paul did, then you see the might and power of God at work, who can turn out an eternal message out of the worst mess.
Today's extract is the response to Paul's request. God basically says: you can deploy your best resources; you can take all necessary steps, but at the end of it all, the only thing that will sustain you through the coming years will be my grace. I am the all-sufficient God; if I am not enough, nothing else in this life will be ever enough. I am all you need to succeed in MY assignment for you. After all, if the work you claim to do is for me, then all you need is what I supply. If I am with you, you will succeed, no matter what else goes on around you. That was the message.
Grace is the enabler. It is what makes a man look at his life and say: 'but for the grace of God'. If I can find in only myself the resources needed to complete the task God has given me, then maybe I do not even know who I am working for. No one receives grace and then walks away thinking he has achieved anything by his/her power. Grace and self-sufficiency can never exist in the same vessel that God wants to use.
That is the essence of Paul's decision: I will keep highlighting my weaknesses, so that I am constantly reminded that I can't achieve anything outside of God. When the focus is right, help is right. When I keep my gaze solely on Christ, the things of the world fade away. What greater glory is there, when God is the all glorious One? When my eyes have seen God's glory and grace at work, what attraction can earth's glory hold for me? If I am still struggling to understand my place in God's scheme of things, now is the time to seek Him out.
God is always at work, and seeks men to join Him at work. There are conditions for service, and it is only when I can empty myself of all that is ME and take on all of Christ that God's power and grace can flow unrestricted and unhindered. At the end of my life, it must be very clear that the grace of God has been the sole motivation, inspiration and perspiration upon my life. Can this be said about my present pursuits and priorities? His time of favour is here.
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