8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 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. 2 Corinthians 12:8-9
A student athlete was walking gingerly in the locker room after a Division I football game they had just won. The coach noticed his star athlete, walked over to him, and asked if he was injured. The young man responded, “No sir, I’m not.” “Then why are you walking like you are in so much pain?” “That’s because I am!”, the athlete replied. The student explained to his coach that since middle school, he experiences sharp pain in his feet during and after football games. He let his coach know that he has sought help, but nothing seems to be working. The athlete then said to his coach, “I have learned to live with it.”
I don’t believe anyone loves to live with pain, discomfort, or difficulties. You would rather not have those experiences and if you do, you probably want immediate relief from your pain, discomfort, or difficulty. But sometimes life will not always offer you a quick relief. In fact, sometimes there is no relief in sight and like the student athlete, you learn to live with it.
That was the case with the Apostle Paul. He had a sitaution in his life that he desperately wanted resolved. Three times he plead with God to resolve his situation (2 Corinthians 12:8), but God did not. Instead, God offered him grace to deal with his situation and learn to live with it. Grace is God’s unmerited favor toward you and upon your life. That grace from God is prompted by his love for you. And God’s love is unconditional—which means you qualify for it even it you don’t deserve it.
What does God’s grace do for your life? It brings upon you the favor of God, and that favor enables you to build capacity to deal with your difficulty. Grace allows you to transform obstacles into opportunity. Grace enables you to live with your pain and still make progress. Grace shores up your determination in the midst of a difficult situation. God’s grace can change your problems into possibilities. God’s grace will not allow your inability to become a disability. God’s grace is sufficient for you!
If you are in pain, having some problems, challenges, or difficulties, ask God for help. Jesus encourages us to do that: “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for.” (Luke 11:9). However, what you receive from God may not always be what you were asking for. But if God does not alleviate your pain, remove your burden, or give you relief from your grief, He will give you grace. And His grace will always be sufficient for you!
Whatever God does not take from your life He will use in your life, for your good and for his glory. Some pain will not go away; but neither will God.
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