Concerning This Thing I Pleaded…
We usually see God’s hand in our life in the rearview mirror. It is only in a review of our circumstances we can see what God has done for us. What we see, at the time, as pain is usually nothing more than a thorn in our side. Yes, it is uncomfortable, embarrassing and sometimes there is actual, physical pain, but once we get to the other side we see how God has made our path brighter, straighter and drawn us closer to Him.
Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ~ 2 Corinthians 12:8-9 NKJB
Our strength is not our own. It is by grace we have breath in our lungs. With breath in our lungs that comes from the Father, we have grace enough to handle what God places before us. We have grace, in Jesus Christ, where we find His strength, His life and His power to overcome our weakness.
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It is when we grasp this truth that our life looks different. It is when we grasp this truth that death has no hold over us. We can walk in the Peace of the Lord, our Savior, and know that what ever demon stands before us has already lost. We can walk in His Peace and know that we are under His wing.
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. ~ 2 Corinthians 12:10 NKJB
When we give it to God, in the name of Jesus Christ, we give it all. We seek, first, His guidance, His counsel and His will. When we accept, then obey, God begins working in our lives in ways we never even thought possible. While the thorn may still be in our side, the pain has morphed into grace, the blood has become a shield and our flesh has been forgiven.
Either the Scripture is the divine Word of God teaching us how to live and how to be a reflection of God, or it’s nothing more than a historical account of events.
