My grace is sufficient

“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.”

2 Corinthians 12:9 [KJV]

Last week, I gave a speech in one of my Bible College classes. The topic was ‘illness’, so I shared what the Lord has been teaching me through chronic illness. Looking back over God’s goodness throughout the last decade was such an encouragement to me.

But as I reflected on different things the Lord has shown me from 2 Corinthians 12:9, another thought struck me. God has been showing me these truths through the lens of living with chronic illness. But He has taught those same truths to others through different circumstances. One woman may learn them through the heartbreak of a wayward child; another through trauma, or a difficult pregnancy, or a challenging work situation, or perhaps the daily repetition of homemaking. You see, our experiences differ widely, but God’s truths are universal.

This is one reason I love hearing testimonies at baptisms. Every story is unique, and yet at the core of each testimony of genuine salvation is the same message: God’s drawing of a sinner to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Similarly, trials have different forms and durations, but God wants to teach us all the same life-changing truths. So, as you read this, don’t just think of my circumstances. Ask the Lord how He wants you to apply the same truths in your life. And, as you consider the trials you are currently facing, ask the Lord if there is something He is teaching you that you could share as an encouragement to someone else. May we all be women of God who comfort “them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God” (2 Corinthians 1:4b).

So what are these universal truths God wants us to know? Some of them are found in the Lord’s words to the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12. In this passage, Paul records how he begged the Lord thrice to remove a particular trial, a “thorn in the flesh” that was causing him much inconvenience and distress. In verse 9, the Lord answered, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”

Do you feel spiritually, mentally or physically weak in your trial?

My chronic health issues often leave me feeling weak. Since at least 2014, chronic migraines, cluster headaches and chronic fatigue have shaped my daily life. I’ve never been able to manage full-time work, and I deal with migraines, cognitive dysfunction, and overwhelming fatigue on an almost daily basis. That’s some of the impact my trial has; your trial might be of a similar or very different nature, but God works through all kinds of trials.

So, let’s look at three lessons all of us can learn from God’s response to Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9.

The first lesson is this: God is sovereign. Paul asked for his trial to removed, and God said no. I begged the Lord to take away my migraines, and the answer was also no. God has the power to take away trials, but He also has the right to leave us in situations that will work together for His glory and our good. Romans 8:28 reminds us, “all things work together for good to them that love God”. Additionally, John 15:8 says that God is glorified when we bear much fruit – something God uses trials in our lives to develop (James 1:3-4). One of the hardest parts of having migraines is accepting how little control I have. I feel betrayed by my own body when a migraine hits, and it becomes physically impossible to do what I wanted to do. Yet such times remind me that God – not me – is in control. “…our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased” (Psalm 115:3). James 4:15 tells us to stop trying to run our own lives, because “…ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.” In all trials, we need to frequently return to that point of surrender, and pray, “Lord, you allowed this trial. Help me let go of my desire to be in control and instead submit to your will.”

The second lesson we learn is that His grace is sufficient. God gives us abundant grace for every trial He sovereignly allows. He gives grace abundantly, not grudgingly or sparingly. “It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23). God’s grace is sufficient for all circumstances because nothing else is – not even us. As Paul declared in 2 Corinthians 3:5, “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God”. Trials expose our pride and self-reliance. Pride whispers, “Don’t accept help” or “I don’t want people’s pity” or “I should be able to handle this.” But James 4:10 says, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up". Jesus, our High Priest, lives to intercede on our behalf, so “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). As we confront our tendency to self-reliance, learn to humbly pray, “Lord, your grace is sufficient. Help me to let go of my pride and allow your grace to uphold and direct me in what I should do.”

And the third lesson is this: God’s strength is supplied. In 2 Corinthians 12:9 God says, “my strength is made perfect in weakness”. Trials often leave us without the physical, emotional or spiritual capacity to do what we want, or what others expect of us. But God always gives strength for what He wants us to do. Listen to Sara’s testimony in Hebrews 11:11, “Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.” I can testify too, that regardless of the impact of migraines, God has always given me the strength to fulfil His will. Over three years ago, the Lord led me to start this blog. Many times, while struggling with a migraine, I’ve had to pray, “Lord, I feel so sick and weak. But this is your will, so I ask for your strength to write this blog post.” And God has given me His strength, not just once or twice, but every single time I’ve needed it. I’ve never missed a post – not because I’m superhuman, but because where God leads, He enables. So go to the Lord in your trial, and humbly pray, “Lord, I am weak, but You are strong, so I ask for Your strength in this situation.”

No matter what trial you are facing, may our eyes be open to see God at work. And may we remember always these truths: He is sovereign, His grace is sufficient, and His strength will be supplied.