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By Pastor Brian Bestian
Well, dear friends, by the time you read this article, the year 2009 will be history. Some of us are exclaiming, “Wow! 2009 was a great year!” Many of us are sighing, “Whew! Finally, 2009 is over!” How about you? Are your circumstances weighing you down even now as you face 2010? If so, you may be searching for a way out of your suffering. You may be vainly trying to find relief in the faulty solutions of this world. Yet, as we learn from the apostle Paul, God is the only solution to our struggles.
For years, Paul struggled with what he called “a thorn in my flesh.” (II Corinthians 12:7) Scholars have theorized about what Paul’s affliction might have been, but no one knows for sure. We do, however, know that it was mentally and physically exhausting for Paul. Perhaps because Paul’s thorn was unidentified, we can relate more readily to his struggle as we compare it to our own. In the midst of his suffering, Jesus spoke directly to Paul, reassuring him of His love and care. “Three times,” says Paul, “I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’” (II Corinthians 12:8–9)
We don’t like to think of ourselves as weak. We like to think of ourselves as self-sufficient, even in our spirituality. We think we need to be strong in our Christian walk, so when sorrow comes, we can stand up against it. When faced with discouragement, we tend to draw back in fear. In the face of disappointments, we become angry, wondering if God has forgotten us. But He hasn’t, and He won’t.
God didn’t forget about Paul’s thorn, and He won’t overlook ours. He uses all of life’s stresses—physical and emotional—to draw us closer to Him. He speaks to us and shows us how and where His grace is most efficient.
God could have eliminated Paul’s struggle in a heartbeat. But He knew that Paul would receive the greater blessing and the greater lesson by learning to rely on God’s perfect strength. God knew that His grace would not be evident in a self-sufficient person like it would in a person who suffered in weakness.
Rather than removing Paul’s thorn, God used it to display His faithfulness and to strengthen His servant. By trusting the Savior, Paul learned about the sufficiency and power of God’s mercy and grace. Paul wrote, “I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (II Corinthians 12:9-10)
Do you find yourself stretched to the breaking point today? Even if you believe “I can’t take another day of this. I just need to escape,”—you can’t outrun God. When faced with hardship, you need to run toward Christ, not away from His love.
Some people, even Christians, have been fleeing God their whole lives. When the storms of life come, instead of leaning on the everlasting arms of Christ, they choose to run. In the Psalms, King David had a serendipitous moment about the wonder of God’s grace and forgiveness. He wrote, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast.” (Psalm 139:7–10)
People who run from God miss some of His greatest joys and blessings. God’s supernatural strength is a surge of hope and encouragement when we face difficulties. He brings an embrace of love when we suffer rejection or betrayal.
Without a doubt, you can know that no matter what 2010 holds for you, God will pull you to safety if you call on Him. Jesus is the One—the only one—that can save you from certain defeat. Panic and anxiety are no match for His grace. He goes before us into life’s battles. The victory is already ours, though it does not come through our efforts or strength. It comes from His nail-pierced hands and His grace. No one is more committed to our success than our Savior, the Lord Jesus.
No matter what you face in the future, God’s grace is sufficient!
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