“9 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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. [10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.] ”
Devotional - Luke Humphrey
Often, when we pray we, we expect God to answer our prayers in exactly the way that we prayed. We pray for a new job and expect God to provide one. We pray for a spouse and expect God to provide a suitable partner. We pray for healing and expect God to provide complete and full recovery. Anything else we would call an “unanswered” prayer.
The Apostle Paul prayed that a thorn in his flesh would be removed. Three times he pleaded with the Lord for this exact thing to happen. But did God answer his prayer?
Yes! But not in the way that Paul expected.
Paul prayed for the thorn to be removed, but God answered with sufficient grace and perfected power to be able to endure the thorn. In God’s wisdom he did do what Paul asked but gave him something better: the ability to boast in his weakness.
Our strength often blinds us to God’s strength. When we are strong we fail to see our need of others. But in our weakness we can see more clearly the strength of God and the grace of Jesus. He came not for the “healthy” but for the sick; he does not empower the “powerful” but the weak.
In his mercy, God often sees fit to answer prayers in the way that we expect. But he also answers prayers with something better: patience in our current jobs, contentment in our singleness, and boasting in our weakness.
“How many persons are there in God?
There are three persons in the one true and living God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are the same in substance, equal in power and glory.”
Fighter Verses
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New City Catechism
© Crossway, newcitycatechism.com