2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV
"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me."
I think I have misread this portion of Scripture over the years. As I read it this morning something popped out that has always been there but I seemed to have glanced over mostly due to not having thoroughly studied 2 Corinthians.
God's grace - His overwhelming joy - is sufficient. He is more than enough.
(Bear with me as I worked this out).
His ability kicks in where our abilities fail or falter. His ability strengthens our lack. Here is where I began looking at the entire passage and I urge you to do the same. In verses 7 and 8, Paul speaks about a thorn in His flesh that he asked God three times to remove or at least that is how I have always read it. The part that jumped out at me is the part about the messenger from Satan. How have I read over that all these years?
Weakness in verse 9 can mean ailment of the body or of the soul. Satan was attacking Paul. Now, I know there is the possibility that Paul was so aggravated at the pain that he called it a Satanic attack but I do not think so. Paul uses in verse 7 the word for angel or messenger. I am wondering if Satan was sending a message to Paul of his displeasure with Paul's work.
This is not unprecedented. Look at the story of Job, and the attacks that fell upon him. Satan attacked him mentally and physically. Paul was undergoing a spiritual attack, and God responds that His joy is more than enough. His strength, His abilities, overcome anything that Satan attempts to throw at us. Satan cannot overcome the joy God places within us. We give the devil way to much credit.
Do not get me wrong. Paul is insistent that God's grace will comfort us in any sickness or tormenting of our souls. Here, Paul is able to boast about the feeble attacks of Satan because he is suffering for Christ.
Can we say that we are on Satan's radar for what we do for Christ? Do we have anything to boast about? I will sudy this more to get a clearer understanding but I can say I hope that I become a thorn in Satan's side in the current work we are doing.
If you enjoy this blog, I would like you to consider this. The church we are planting needs to raise $25,000 to help with repairs to our building and to help purchase some equipment to aid in our ability to be a relevant church where people can connect to God and with others. These repairs will go a long way towards helping us become a large volunteer base for our community. Any donation is tax deductible.
You can send your donation to:
Faith Community Church
132 Cannon Farm Rd
Oxford, Georgia 30054
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