2 Corinthians 12: 7-10

I wanted to share a couple of verses from Corinthians that the Lord has been whispering to me the last few days. This school year has come with a unique set of challenges, but the Lord keeps reminding me that His strength will sustain me (and you). When I feel like I cannot go on one more day, I pray that the Lord will fill me with His Spirit.

In Corinthians Chapter 12, Paul speaks of a thorn in his flesh that torments him. The scripture says that he pleaded (not asked, but pleaded) with the Lord to take it away.

But the Lord 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. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Even though Paul pleaded with the Lord to take away the thorn (which might have been a physical ailment, a sin he kept trying to overcome, etc.…) the Lord chose not to take it away. Of course, the Lord had and still has the power to immediately heal any broken situation, but sometimes he chooses not to “fix” the problem the way we think is best. Sometimes he allows us to face the “thorn” each day and learn to rest in His grace and His power, which are made perfect in our weakness.

It is easy to write and hard to live out day to day, but my prayer is that I will continually learn to not only endure hardships and persecutions, but actually delight in them. For when I am weak, I am strong….not of my own strength, but the strength of the Lord who lives in me.