How is it possible to be strong in suffering? I know we’ve all wondered at these verses. We’ve all learned the reasons for battles and realize in our weakest moments we find our deepest strength.
II Corinthians 12: 7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. 8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9 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.10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
Here Paul speaks concerning his infirmities. He said he knew the reason that bad things happened to him. When you look back, even his conversion was rocky. He was struck blind before he could see the light. He needed to be humbled. Everywhere he went, he got in trouble for following the Lord. Do you have days that you feel that everything you do gets you in trouble? It’s part of us and shows us how human we are, as well as how much we need help.
Paul suffered a lot. He said it was to keep him from being too confident in himself and not trust in the Lord. Without adversity, we tend to do that. We are not immune to or above suffering. God allows them to keep us close to him so that our confidence is in his goodness and grace.
Paul said there was a particular thorn in his flesh. We don’t know what it was. It could have been physical. He could have meant his human nature, his flesh, flared up. One would think after a certain amount of time of being a Christian that old things wouldn’t bother us, but the devil brings them up to get to us. Under the right conditions, at our weak times, he can push and we might give in and sin.
We would think Paul’s faith would have gotten rid of it. He had already written scriptures like Romans 8:28 in which he stated that all things work together for good—and he meant the bad as well as the good. Yet here we find him struggling. Does he ask the Lord to help him? No. He asked the Lord to remove it. The Lord said no. He asked again. The Lord said no. He asked a third time. Do you think he made a mistake by asking a third time? Don’t we do the same? Even though we know what the scripture says, we keep asking. We’re human. Paul was too. He wanted relief and kept asking for it. The response after this third time is in red meaning these are the words of Jesus. My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. This was not the response he was looking for.
What do we do when we don’t get our way? We tend to doubt and/or pout. It’s important for us to see that God’s grace to see us through is a miracle and it’s unmistakable. We find it different in different situations; each time it’s a miracle. Bad things do happen. Troubles hurt. All we can do is trust in his grace. Since we first believed and were saved, we’ve had grace. How does it work? Jesus said “MY strength is made perfect in weakness.” That is our weakness. When we’re weak it makes a perfect condition for grace to work its miracle. It is the name of every answer we need. I’ve heard it called suffering grace, dying grace, and enduring grace. By it we are given the strength to keep going.
Paul said he’d rather have the infirmity in order to have the depths of grace. That was his response. He said Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. Would you make that choice if given it?
I’m thankful for what the Lord has done for me. If suffering helps me know the depths of God’s grace, it is worth it. When Paul came to the end of his life and said he had fought a good fight, he knew Jesus had won it for him through his weakness. Jesus filled his life because he emptied himself to the Lord. That’s what we did when we got saved. We emptied ourselves and God filled us. That’s how it continues to work. When things seem to swallow us up, remember we’re God’s. His grace is enough.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 