Slideshow image

Aches and Pains and Prayer

II Corinthians 12:1-10

2 Corinthians 12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 

I love that word sufficient. “My grace is sufficient for thee.” Jesus Christ is able to meet our physical needs as well as our spiritual and material needs.

Some folks have their own “thorn in the flesh,” some physical affliction that God has permitted in their life. Paul’s affliction was not the result of sin or careless living on his part; rather it was given to him to keep him from sinning. Like His Lord in Gethsemane, Paul prayed three times that God would remove the thorn; but God did not. God did not answer Paul’s prayer affirmatively, but He did meet Paul’s need. He gave him grace to turn pain into victory and weakness into power.

The older a person gets, the more they appreciate a strong, healthy body. Certainly all Christians ought to take good care of the temple of the Holy Ghost (I Corinthians 6:19) for Jesus’ sake and for the sake of those who depend on him (Philippians 1:20-21).  But the older we get, the more we feel the “burden of the body.” It becomes easier to excuse ourselves from Christian responsibilities simply because we “don’t feel up to it.”

Christ purchased our bodies when He died for us on the cross. He wants us to glorify Him and magnify Him through our bodies. (Philippians 1:20-21)

He knows our physical weaknesses, and His grace is sufficient to overcome them. Only Christ can change weakness into strength. If today you just don’t feel up to it, read II Corinthians 11:23-33 and see what the grace of God did for Paul.