In Sunday School the answer is always yes... but in real life it may seem that I need more than God. God’s grace was sufficient for Paul, because after refusing to remove his thorn in the flesh (2 Cor 12:9), in the very next verse he declares, ... “I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong (NASB).” But is God’s grace really enough for me?
I don’t do so well with insults and persecutions, so in addition to God’s grace I may need an apology for how I was mistreated – then I can be content. Perhaps God’s grace and a little respect would be nice. Some measure of appreciation for my efforts or an admission that I was wronged... this along with God’s grace should do it. How am I to be content unless God heals my cancer? How can God expect me to be at peace with so many bills and so little money?
Hudson Taylor spent 54 years of his life struggling to reach the people of China with the Gospel. I am often convicted of my pettiness and poverty of stillness when I read of men and women like Taylor who once said...
“Let us give up our work, our thoughts, our plans, ourselves, our lives, our loved ones, our influence, our all, right into His hand, and then, when we have given all over to Him, there will be nothing left for us to be troubled about, or to make trouble about.”
So, if my labors must be appreciated, or my input considered, or my plans accomplished, or my body healed, then God’s grace will still be sufficient to accomplish His desires, but it may not be enough to accomplish mine. This makes for relentless discontentment with God, others and myself. I may see others triumph in their troubles but will always imagine that my lot would have been too cruel for them to manage. Also, when God’s grace seems inadequate to us then so will our spouse, our job, and our church. Sooner or later, everything will be faithful to disappointment.
“My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Cor 12:9), was God’s response to Paul’s third plea for the removal of the thorn from his flesh. God refused Paul’s appeal for relief but promised His grace was more than enough – enough for Paul to forget what lies behind and reach forward to what lies ahead (Phil 3:13). Even when praying for his friends, pastor Tim Keller notes that not once did Paul ask God to change their circumstances.
God’s presence and grace are always enough, but sometimes life hurts so badly that for a while we may not realize it. Remember, Paul said that I have learned to be content (Phil 4:11). Learning takes time and involves both failure and success. “Learned” in verse 11 is the verb form of the noun “disciple.” From Jesus’ disciples we know that success does not happen in an instant. They often forgot valuable lessons and during the storm they asked Jesus if He even cared that they were perishing (Mk 4:38)?
Let’s pray for one another that we may learn... yes, His grace is sufficient... even when it seems like we need so much more.
Pastor Mike Snelgrove
