Hope in Christ

Many of us claim to hear from God, whether through a dream, an impression, a circumstance, or some other means. But we can never claim to have heard from God as Paul did in verse 9 in our text. Many of your Bibles even have put the response to Paul’s prayer in red type, indicating that they were the literal words of Jesus, words that would have been divinely inspired, and therefore, Holy Scripture.  

Paul pleaded with God three separate times to take away his agonizing thorn in the flesh, and this was the response he received, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” What a tremendous revelation for Paul, and for us today. What is the answer to the greatest pains of this life?......God’s grace!

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is in fact sufficient, it is satisfactory, it is enough. We often think that the gravity of our pain and hardship requires some grandiose miracle, and in that we will often forsake the sufficiency of God’s grace through Jesus Christ.

But why is grace so sufficient in our suffering? Well, when you think about it, Christ endured the ultimate suffering on the cross of Calvary, where he took on the sin of the world in order that we might escape the punishment we deserved. And in the place of that punishment, we received God’s grace. So, the grace of God is inextricably linked to the sufferings of Christ that he endured on our behalf.

In short, grace is God’s response to suffering. The power of God’s grace was made perfect in Christ’s sacrificial suffering on the cross, and therefore the power of that grace is made manifest when we share in the sufferings of Christ. Paul makes that link between grace and suffering in Philippians 3:10 when he says, “…that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings,…” The only way Paul could ever know the grace of God exemplified in the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ was if he was willing to share in Christ’s suffering.

Are you willing to do the same? The spiritual attacks on your life, your finances, your relationships, your home, your family, and your church may be great and significant. But they are the means by which we’re able to recognize that God’s grace is sufficient and that his power is made perfect in our sufferings and weaknesses.

Be encouraged saint, for you are covered in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ!