Dear Faithful One,
Have you ever been in a place where your personal suffering is consuming you to the point that you are no longer in tune with God and what He is doing in the world around you? Has life been all about you and your needs? How do we get our minds off our own personal pain in order to get back to concerns of eternal significance?
In 2 Cor 12:7-10 the Apostle Paul said: To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. NIV. Below is what God taught me through these verses:
1. Paul said, “to keep me from becoming conceited”. To keep Paul from being proud, God allowed him to endure a personal suffering. If there is something consuming your attention that affects you personally, could this be God’s test to see how focused you are on His purpose when you have a personal crisis of your own? Oh it’s so wonderful to say we serve God when nothing else is demanding our time or resources. The test of our true allegiance to eternal matters comes when situations invade our lives, touch our physical bodies in a tangible way, and test us to a level of sacrifice we did not expect or plan for. Will you choose for God when you are under pressure?
2. Paul referred to the thorn in his flesh as “a messenger of Satan”. Do you recall the story of Job when the devil said the only reason Job was serving God was because he received blessings. Satan’s accusation was, “Take away the blessings and see how long Job will serve God!” I wonder today if God has allowed your blessings to be impacted adversely. Is God watching your response the same way He watched Job to see what you will do? Do you serve God with a “let’s make a deal” attitude, with the idea of “I do this for you” and “you do this for me”? Or do you serve God because He is God and deserves your worship?
3. God told Paul “my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” At first reading, did this feel like a lame answer in comparison to the real problems you are facing? On a practical level, how will grace carry you through when what you want is a tangible solution? While looking spiritual on the outside, are you in a panic to find some tangible answers on the inside?
4. Paul said he delighted in his weakness. Why would anyone delight in having a continuing problem that has no end in sight? Could it be that God and we do not have the same objective? What kind of power does God desire to make perfect in our weakness? Our trust in Him in the midst of adversity is what shows the world that He is real. Observe in the midst of a continuing challenge that affected him physically, Paul continued in God’s purpose. Has something affected your health or your finances? In responding to the thorns in your life, how will you continue with God’s mission as your way to demonstrate His power in your life?
I pray this devotion encouraged you in a special way. When I pray for you, I hear a victory song. I believe in you because I believe in God’s Word in you as you put His Word into action.
Love,
Anita Carman.