JESUS said: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
I do not know what you are going through right now in your life. Perhaps everything is going well, and you and your loved ones may be healthy and have sufficient funds to provide for your basic needs and maybe a few extras, and you are enjoying the blessings of life together. Or perhaps you are struggling with depression or sorrow, guilt or sickness, personal relationship issues or some other form of suffering. I do not know what your experience of life is today, but GOD tells us repeatedly in His Word that He knows everything about each of our lives, and that His grace is sufficient for us. His grace is not only sufficient for us to face and overcome the challenges and sufferings of life in the here and now, but also sufficient to give us the gift of the resurrection life in the new Heaven and Earth, where there is no more suffering (Revelation 21:4).
The LORD spoke the words in 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 to the Apostle Paul when he was struggling with some form of bodily suffering that he describes as “a thorn in the flesh” which had come from Satan to torment him. We are not told what the ailment was, but through the wisdom of the HOLY SPIRIT Paul recognized the origin of his sufferings as coming from Satan. He testifies that He pleaded with the LORD three times to take this torment from him. Instead of removing the ailment the LORD tells Paul that His grace is sufficient for him in the midst of his sufferings.
The LORD’S response to the Apostle Paul’s suffering is far different than the “name it and claim it” perfect health and wealth proclaimers in religious circles and in the medical community. Many of their results fall very short of their promises. The truth is that all the wealth promoters lose everything in the end, and all medical practitioners and self-proclaimed religious faith healers eventually face the same sufferings and death that they claim to be able to cure others of. Did you notice they all die of the same diseases as other people? These contemporary marketers of prosperity and health sound like the theologians who tormented Job is his suffering by blaming him for the painful sickness Satan had inflicted on him. Instead of bringing the comfort and peace of resting in the LORD’S grace and salvation when faithful believers face times of suffering, these charlatans merely push people to despair in blaming them for their suffering. The book of Job may very well be the oldest book written in the Old Testament, and through it the LORD has much to teach all of us concerning sickness and suffering. If you haven’t read it yet, you would be wise to do so.
To be sure, there are times when we are the architects of our own problems and sufferings. When we reap the consequences of our sin and foolishness that we have sown, then it is wise for us to acknowledge and repent of our sin when seeking GOD’S mercy and healing. As the LORD says:
“If my people, who are called by My Name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land’ 2 Chronicles 7:14.
There is no doubt that the LORD can and does heal us of many diseases and sicknesses through prayer and through some medicines. Like many of you, I have experienced a variety of sicknesses and hardships during my short life on planet Earth and the LORD has healed me and delivered me many times. As it is written:
“I sought the LORD, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears…This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; He saved him out of all of his troubles. Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him” Psalm 34:4-7.
The HOLY SPIRIT also clearly testifies that there are times when the LORD in His love for us teaches us lessons that we need to learn through suffering and thus He allows us to go through various difficulties and painful circumstances during our brief life in this temporary world. In His Word the HOLY SPIRIT has not only revealed Job’s experience of diverse kinds of sufferings from the hand of the evil one, but also testifies to the hardships and various sufferings that all who trust in the LORD may go through in their lives. It is written:
“And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: ‘My son, do not make light of the LORD’S discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the LORD disciplines those He loves, and He punishes everyone He accepts as a son.’ Endure hardship as discipline; GOD is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?” Hebrews 12:5-7
“Though now for a little while you may have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when JESUS CHRIST is revealed” 1 Peter 1:6-7
As in Job’s case, there are times and circumstances in each of our lives when our gracious and merciful LORD allows us to go through sufferings, hardships, and sorrows for the ultimate purpose of helping us to learn to depend entirely upon His amazing eternal grace to us, rather than trusting in and seeking after the comforts, treasures or pleasures on planet Earth. The LORD our GOD is preparing us for eternal life in His eternal Holy Kingdom and that preparation involves not only the cleansing of our souls through JESUS’ holy blood, but also some refining process in each of our hearts and minds.
These words of the LORD to Paul, are also His words to you and I as we go through times of physical, emotional, or spiritual suffering in this world. In all these difficult circumstances of life it is good for us to present ourselves before the LORD our GOD, our SAVIOR KING, Teacher, Healer, and Counselor. He encourages us to pour out our hearts to Him in prayer, confessing our sins and seeking His deliverance from whatever sufferings we may be going through. He also encourages us to present ourselves to the elders of our congregation, confessing our sins and asking them to anoint us with oil and pray for our healing or help in our troubles (James 5:13-16). Many times the LORD will heal us and deliver us from whatever is troubling us, however there may be times when the LORD doesn’t heal us and deliver us, but tells us that we need to accept these things for the time being and wait for deliverance either later in our life here, or ultimately in His eternal new Heaven and Earth. All of His promises will be fulfilled partially in our life here in this world, but ultimately in His coming glorious Kingdom. This includes the promise that He will heal all of our diseases in Psalm 103:3. As it is written:
“All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. They admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth… Instead they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore GOD is not ashamed to be called their GOD, for He has prepared a city for them.” Hebrews 11: 13
No matter what the circumstances of our lives may be here, the LORD says to us, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Our faith is not in our own power, wisdom, or righteousness, but entirely in JESUS and His amazing grace to us, to carry us through the challenges and burdens of this life and into His amazing eternal promised land. I do not believe in the power of my own faith, but in the power, wisdom, and amazing grace of GOD and His SON, our LORD JESUS CHRIST and the incredible salvation that He gives to all who trust in and love Him. Through our daily lives we learn that the LORD and His grace is all that we need. His grace is more than sufficient for us to live a life of peace, joy and eternal hope in the midst of the celebrations and trials of life that each of us will go through this side of the new Heaven and Earth. His grace to us through JESUS voluntary suffering and death is more than sufficient to wash away all of our sin and usher us into our incredible eternal Home.
Amen, come LORD JESUS.