Day 22~ His Grace is Sufficient

Have you ever had a problem in your life and you knew that it was your fault? Have you ever been anxious about a problem you were facing and felt as if it was going to take you to your grave?

Perhaps you have or maybe you haven't  but whether you can relate to this situation or not, there is someone in the Bible who can.

2 Corinthians 12:7 "...even though I have recieved such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in the flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud."

This account was from the apostle Paul in a letter to the Corinthian church. In the letter he spoke of a 'thorn in his flesh', a thorn that was given to him so that he wouldn't become proud.

This thorn could have been anything, the Bible never specified exactly what it was and the reason it was written that way was so that we could apply this to our own life.
Do you have somthing in your life that you'd be much happier if you didn't have? Perhaps an addiction or a chronic and/or genetic health problem, it can even be simply a feeling or emotion you wish didn't pop up. That is your thorn in the flesh, it was given to you so you wouldn't be proud.

You may very well ask 'What's so wrong with being proud?'
Pride can be good to have once in a while for the right reasons like when you've accomplished something you've worked hard on but if your pride makes you conceited that's where you're going wrong. Humility is important so that we understand that everything good comes from God and that we're  all equal in his eyes.

Then you may wonder, 'But how is this problem teaching me humility?'
Well, is your problem embarrassing? Is it something that you love about yourself or is it something you think you'd be better off without?
If the problem is bothering you and making you uncomfortable it's teaching you humility.

The scripture continues in verse 8 "Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me." 
You know that your situation is bad when you go and pray about it to God more than once but I love God's reply, he told him in verse 9 "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness"

No matter what your thorn is, God is saying the same to you. His grace is sufficient, his power is made perfect in weakness; what that means is no matter what you do, he can forgive you for it, he still accepts you in spite of it and through your weakness he will reveal his strength to you and perhaps even to others.

So don't  give up hope, keep praying, keep trusting in God. He loves you and he wants to bless you and shower his favor on you in spite of your 'thorn's in the flesh'. Keep praying and trying your best and always remember that his grace is sufficient!