Tag: 2 Corinthians 12:7-9
Crying out to God
Scripture reading for September 15: Psalm 88:13-15 “But I, O Lord, cry out to You; in the morning my prayer comes before You. O Lord, why do You cast my soul away? Why do you hide Your face from me? Afflicted and close to death from my youth up, I suffer Your terrors; I am helpless.”
2 Corinthians 12:7-9 “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”
Those who have suffered affliction or sickness for an extended period often struggle with believing that God hears them or knows their desperate situation. Weeks and sometimes years of crying out to God go by without the answer coming. Feelings of weakness, weariness and helplessness sweep over them. Psalm 88 was written by a son of Korah and was added to the worship set of Israel and stands for us as a reminder that God’s timing and answers are often mysteries. We must continue in faith and worship. We can honestly share our feeling with God and confess our weakness and our need of His strength.
In the New Testament, the apostle Paul was given great revelation and insight by God. But he was also given a thorn in his flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass him. Paul sought the Lord three times to ask for it to be sent away. But God did not remove this ‘thorn’ as Paul had requested. Instead, God told him that His grace would be sufficient to bear up under this Satanic harassment. God was being merciful to Paul to keep him from conceit and pride. God’s power is made perfect in our weakness and dependence through faith. When we confess our weakness and dependence on God, then we are candidates for His sufficient grace to bear up whether for a short time or a long endurance.
Prayer: Father God, these lessons from the psalmist and the apostle Paul are hard for me to process. I have been told to be strong and take authority over Satan and his attacks. Deepen my relationship with Jesus that I might honestly deal with my weaknesses and dependency on You. Amen.