Verse of the day: 2 Corinthians 12:9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in
weakness.” Therefore
most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may
rest upon me.
How
often have we prayed, and prayed some more, for a particular thing we desired,
whether it is that we are experiencing a hardship, trial, or some other
troubling circumstance? How often have we received an answer to prayer that was
not exactly what we were looking for or expecting? I praise God that in all the
times that I have prayed for a certain outcome, He has chosen to give the outcome
He desired. I have not always understood or particularly liked the way He
answered, but in the long run I have always been thankful for His answer
because in most instances He has later revealed that what He chose for an outcome
was far better than what I desired, even if it His answer came with some pain. The
truth of the matter is that God always know what is best for us and knows how
to answer our prayers in such a way that it will be for our greatest good,
greatest growth, and His greatest glory (Rm 8:28-29). The Apostle Paul received
an answer to his prayers that God would remove the thorn in his flesh that was
given to him, a messenger of Satan to buffet him (v. 8). The reason: to keep
the Apostle humble. There exists a danger for all of us when we think more
highly of ourselves than we should, in an aspect life, to include our service
to the Lord. When we do, we put ourselves in a position for God to allow
something into our lives that will humble us. It may even be something that God
chooses to not take from us so that we are continually reminded that we are to
be humble in our service and that all that we do, and are capable of doing, in
His service is not because we are special above anyone else, but because Jesus
is special above all. There are many of God’s servants that suffer from some
kind of infirmity that is a lifelong burden. God has chosen to allow this to
show the world His strength and His power through our weaknesses. Because we do
not know how God will answer each prayer, there is nothing wrong with asking
God to remove an illness, sickness, or troubling circumstance; however, we must
be careful that we are ready to accept whatever answer God chooses to give. In response
to our supplications the Lord may choose to allow whatever is troubling us to
remain because He desires that we learn that His grace is of far more value
than what we would ever gain from having the trial removed. We must trust that
God is answering and giving us what would be far better for us in the long run,
rather than give us temporary relief. How else will we learn to endure through
trials and trust in God’s protection and deliverance if He does not allow us to
experience those times when He has the opportunity to show His strength and
power the most? When God led the Israelites out of Egypt, He wanted them to see
and experience His power as God at work by leading them to the Red Sea with no
way to escape on their own (Ex 13:18; 14:1-31). The truth was that God also chose
to bring them that way because they were not ready to face the Philistine had
God led them through the shorter route (Ex 13:17-19). It is no different today.
When we pray, God already knows what our reaction will be and how we will
handle or mishandle the results of an answered prayer, because He knows us
best. For this reason, He does not always gives us what we are asking for, as
opposed to what He knows is best for us. In the case of the Apostle Paul, God
chose that which would bring Christ the most glory. Too often we pray
selfishly, asking God to give us that which will bring us the greatest relief
rather than seeking that which will glorify Him most. In the end, even though
the answer the Apostle received was not what He has pleaded for, he realized
that God’s answer was what was the best answer; and therefore, he preferred to
suffer under the infirmity so that the power of God would rest upon, or “tabernacle
over him” as a shelter, as a protective and preserving refuge. The bottom line
is that regardless of how God answers our prayers or what He allows, it is always
best to be in the center of His will and plan for our lives. It is the place of
our greatest protection, and the place where we will learn to truly serve Him
in humility and complete reliance on Him, His strength, and His power.
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