2 Corinthians 12:7-9

Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.^[1]

The Apostle Paul had some sort of physical challenge. Many have speculated over the course of time the nature of the challenge, but no one truly knows. All we know is that it was bothersome enough for the Apostle to implore the Lord three times to remove it, which He declined to do. Instead, the Lord tells Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” If you operate in ministry, particularly power ministry, you may well imagine the possible responses Paul could have had. It is difficult to be used mightily by the Lord to bless others only to suffer lack yourself. It is hard to understand how God can use one as a conduit of His awesome power for healing or deliverance and then decline to manifest that same power in the one through whom He worked so powerfully.

Now, of course, this is the Apostle Paul we are referencing so his response is almost to be expected, but it does raise an important question for how one deals with personal disappointment in the realm of faith. Disappointment generally provides the enemy of our souls the opportunity to tempt us to walk in doubt and unbelief, rather than faith. Used by God to bless others can cause one to be frustrated when it appears that the blessings of God are somehow uneven. God’s answer to Paul reminds us of His sovereignty. His grace is defined “not as a created substance of any kind, but as ‘the love and mercy given to us by God because God desires us to have it, not because of anything we have done to earn it.’” It is God’s unmerited favor over our lives. Paul did not understand why God refused to remove the thorn, but God certainly did telling Paul that “power is perfected in weakness.”

In the realm of faith, we have to rest in the confidence that God knows better than we do why He does some things and allows some others. He knows our end from the beginning. He knows how we will handle the blessings of life and ministry He bestows. He knows our temperament and the attitudes we will have walking in the miraculous power he manifests through us. Disappointment will come, but in the realm of faith we trust and believe that God’s grace is sufficient for us.

Dear Lord, You have done such great and mighty things through us. We have seen Your power poured out miraculously over so many people’s lives. We marvel and celebrate over all that You have done and that You do, but we have been often tempted to frustration and disappointment over our personal circumstances that appear to have been unimpacted by that same power. Help us to trust Your grace more for our lives than we do for the lives of those to whom we minister or lead. Help us to rest in the knowledge that You know exactly what You are doing in and through us so that we might not be led astray by the enemy of our souls. Amen.

^[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), 2 Co 12:7–9.