March 05, 2008 2 Corinthians 12:7

03/05/2008

2 Corinthians 12:7 - 10 (HCSB)

⁷…Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so I would not exalt myself. ⁸Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times to take it away from me. ⁹But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. ¹⁰So because of Christ, I am pleased in weaknesses, in insults, in catastrophes, in persecutions, and in pressures. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

You see lots of “health and wealth” doctrines out there today--people who say that God wants you to be both healthy and rich. They point to various verses and use them to support their claim. But if you look closer, you will find that no such promises are made—at least not for *this* lifetime.

There were only 4 people that come to mind as examples of people made wealthy as a direct result of their relationship to God: Job, Abraham, David, and Solomon. But, one can easily see that their wealth was given to them for a specific reason.

Job’s wealth was given to him so that God’s authority over Satan could be demonstrated. Abraham’s wealth was given to him to demonstrate God’s grace to those He favors. David’s wealth was given to build the kingdom of God’s chosen people, and Solomon’s wealth was given to build God’s temple. In each case, there is a specific reason and lesson.

But if we look at other pillars of the faith—Isaiah, Moses, John the Baptist, and the Apostle Paul (just to name a few), we see men who’s lives were so dedicated to God that it consumed every moment of their time. None of these men lived in wealth. Moses lived in the desert and relied on God daily just for food. Isaiah also lived in the desert and God sent ravens to feed him. John the Baptist wore animal hides and ate locusts and wild honey. And the Apostle Paul as we see had some affliction (which is never specifically disclosed) that affected his physical wellbeing.

There is no doubt that Paul understood the Gospel in ways that we may only begin to grasp. We can easily look to Paul as a bastion of faith. Yet when he appealed to God to remove this “thorn in the flesh”, what answer was given to him?

God answered: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”

There are two things to take from this. First of all, God gives us what we need. In this case, Paul *wanted* the “thorn” removed, but God knew that Paul *needed* grace. How many times do we ask for the wrong things when we pray?

Second, God let Paul know there was a greater purpose in Paul’s affliction: The power of God is demonstrated more fully in our weakness. For when we can no longer deal with our afflictions, God steps in and gives us grace, stamina, or whatever else we need. In those situations, we individually learn to lean more fully on the grace of God, and others who see us, learn about the strength of God.

What do we learn from this? It is OK to pray for our afflictions to be removed, but the answer may be “My grace is sufficient for you.” We must let ourselves fall into the loving arms of God who will sustain us in those moments.

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