Happy Thursday!

Prayer: “I worship You, Father, for Your amazing grace. You know the pain and frustration in my life. You know all that happens in my heart. Cover me with Your grace. Help me trust that Your grace is sufficient in all things. I am desperate for You, Lord Jesus. I need You. Amen.”

2 Corinthians 12: 8, 9 “Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

I did some reading of scriptures prior to this passage and after and Paul never does say what this “thing” was that was on his heart. I guess we are like Paul and we do not want to share all of the burdens we carry even with our closest friends or those with whom we live. But whatever it was God told the Apostle Paul that His grace was sufficient to cover whatever it was that was burdening his heart. I believe fully that God knew exactly what was on Paul’s heart and whatever it was it was enough to cause him concern and causing him to be weaker in his faith. When I think of a weakness in our faith I think that we are trying to solve or reconcile the issue by ourselves instead of allowing God and his grace to lead and guide us through whatever our burden is. Our weakness shows up in the amount of trust we place in God when we are carrying a burden.

Sometimes we come across things that we call a “thorn in our flesh.” God does not always remove our thorns. God did not remove the thorns that Jesus bore, but God did give Him the strength to endure until the mission was complete. The strength of God was made perfect in Jesus’ crucifixion as He became weaker with each moment.

Our human weakness opens the way for the strength of God’s grace to be manifested in each of us. The less we rely on our own power the more we are open to the grace of God empowering us for His glory. Because we believe and claim to be people of faith does not exclude us from pain, suffering or loss. What it does promise us is that God’s grace is sufficient through every circumstance. Give God praise for giving His strength in our weakness and covering us in His grace.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes. Count your blessings and say your prayers. “…we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we first begun.” Love you all and thank you for all of your prayers. Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am only moved by what I believe and I believe God.