The Grace of the Lord is always there to heal our hurts or to carry us through the things that hurt.
In 2 Corinthians, Paul asked the Lord three times to remove an infirmity he had. The Lord’s response to Paul is captured in 2 Corinthians 12:9. It says, “And He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Paul’s response to this was to boast in his weaknesses so that the Power of God could be alive in Him.
We commonly accept that grace is the unmerited favor or kindness of God poured out on us. So, what did the Lord mean by saying His grace was sufficient for Paul? Was His grace sufficient to heal Paul? Or was His grace sufficient to sustain Paul in the event he was not healed?
Grace is indeed the unmerited favor of the Lord. But it doesn’t mean we get to live free of something that challenges our lives as much as it means we are freed to live abundantly with our challenges. Read the account of this in 2 Corinthians for yourself. It is not clear whether the Lord healed Paul or not. Most of us believe Paul was not healed.
But whether healed or not, the Lord wants us to understand the sufficiency and the power of His grace. Grace is grace whether the Lord gives us what we ask in prayer or whether He chooses not to give us what we ask. Paul was actually sick from being sick with his infirmity. Jesus used the healing power of His grace to heal the sickness Paul had caused by having this infirmity that he wanted to be removed.
I believe the Lord wants to do the same thing with us. Sometimes, the Lord will not give us exactly what we request in prayer. But He will always give us something better than what we ask. His grace is sufficient for us either way. When we are sick of being challenged, grace will carry us through.
The grace of God is one of the primary ways the Lord is able to help us build up our faith in Him. The unmerited kindness of the Lord causes us to be thankful to Him in the good times and in the bad times.
When we are pressed down by the challenges we face, the grace of the Lord keeps us from feeling like we are overcome by our troubles. Grace may not remove our troubles, but it keeps us from allowing our troubles to make us become sick as we long for the goodness of life.
When we are anxious about the things we cannot control, the grace of the Lord helps us to learn never to lose control of ourselves as we live in Him.
When we are hurt or attacked by someone or something, the grace of the Lord helps us to find the good that is hidden in evil that is directed towards. Grace helps us to stand strong against evil with the good that is only found in the Lord.
When we lack little, grace keeps us from becoming proud of having much. And when we have much, grace keeps us humble enough to know that there are many who have nothing at all.
Grace keeps us from falling into the belief that we are better than others. It keeps us from having the attitude that sometimes others must get what they deserve so they will learn to change their ways. Indeed, grace may cause some of us to change our ways, but to many it will help us to change our perspectives about the Power of God.
So then, does the power of God rest on us in our strengths or in our weaknesses? In both. If the Lord gives us all that we want always, grace can help us learn to appreciate the Love of God. If the Lord never gives us the things that we ask, the grace of the Lord can help us appreciate the power of God to carry us through our challenges.
Learn to recognize the grace of the Lord in your life. It is sufficient for all that you encounter each day. The Grace of the Lord is always with us to heal us or to see us through what challenges us.
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