Elusive Perfection

Elusive Perfection

2 Corinthians 12: ⁷ But to keep me from being puffed up with pride because of the many wonderful things I saw, I was given a painful physical ailment, which acts as Satan's messenger to beat me and keep me from being proud. ⁸ Three times I prayed to the Lord about this and asked him to take it away. ⁹ But his answer was: “My grace is all you need, for my power is greatest when you are weak.” I am most happy, then, to be proud of my weaknesses, in order to feel the protection of Christ's power over me. ¹⁰ I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

 

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My prayers felt unheard. “LORD please heal me of…” or “LORD please heal this person or that person” or “LORD please give me a certain amount of money by this date” or something else I would ask for. When the answer was “No” I questioned if I was doing something wrong.

 

• I sometimes got tired of praying and hearing “No” for the answer.
• I kept looking at current circumstances as being hopeless.
• I wondered “why are these things happening to me?” when I was trying hard.

 

Paul was called by GOD in a magnificent way. But he also suffered a lot. He had a problem that he prayed to be released from on three occasions. He was probably thinking “If this problem would just be gone, then I would be able to serve GOD better.” GOD’s answer, “MY grace is all you need.”

 

My Observations

• I keep trying to make my relationship with GOD one sided.
• I have many problems and not a lot of answers.
• I have looked at problems the wrong way and GOD wants me to see HIS power is greatest when I am not in HIS way.

 

Fixing the world’s problems seemed simple to me at one time. I mean, after GOD forgave my rebellious lifestyle, HE had me learn about HIM. I found many promises of protections, wealth and great relationships with everyone. But that did not pan out the way I thought.

 

I ran into problem after problem after problem. “Why aren’t my prayers being answered?” I would ask. Little did I know, my prayers were being answered with “No, because MY grace is all you need.” HE guides me to realize that when I am weakest, I can feel CHRIST’s power over me. I am content with my weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions and difficulties for CHRIST’s sake.

 

Challenge

• Can you feel the anguish of the writer?
• Have you ever prayed for something to change over and over and over, yet it has not?
• Can you follow the writer’s example and look at the situation different by understanding that GOD’s power is greatest when your power is reduced and only HE can solve the situation in HIS time, in HIS way?