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Episode 10
Always Sufficient
The apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians chapter 12 received a vision from the Lord. From the book of Acts we learn that he has also received other visions (Acts 9:12; 16:9-10; 18:9-10; 22:17-21; 23:11; 27:23-24). He is caught up into Paradise and hears things that he is not permitted to share. He shares with restraint concerning his vision (but without disclosing its content) by referring to himself in the third person singular. In order to keep Paul from becoming proud, he ‘was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan sent to buffet me; this was to save me from being unduly elated’ (12:7).
What exactly is the ‘thorn in the flesh’? Scholars suggest diverse answers such as human weakness in his moral nature, illness, physical disability (cf. 1 Cor 2:1) and eye infection (cf. Gal 6:11). We know that it is not a minor problem because it causes him great embarrassment and physical torment. Moreover, he pleads with the Lord to remove it on three occasions. Since we are not told precisely what the ‘thorn in the flesh’ is, it may be easier for us to identify with him in our sufferings.
The following observations can be made concerning this ‘thorn in the flesh’:
When God says, ‘My grace is sufficient for you’, he assures divine assistance through the Holy Spirit. The influence of the Holy Spirit in our lives is considered unmerited. In other words, God is saying, he will supply strength to us to carry on doing his will in spite of the circumstances, handicaps or limitations.
When Paul says ‘I can do everything through his strength’ (Phil 4:13), we can replace the word strength with the word grace. As a result, my power is made perfect in weakness. God equates his grace with his power infusing our weakness as a concrete expression of his grace. His power comes to our aid through the Holy Spirit. God’s grace is not given to make us feel better but to meet all circumstances with resilience. God always gives us what we need and not what we want. Where grace is, there God is. To have God is to have enough because to have him is to have everything. His grace is always more than sufficient for all our needs. God is greater than our greatest problems. As Paul says, ‘And it is in God’s power to provide you with all good gifts in abundance, so that with every need always met to the full, you may have something to spare for every good cause’ (2 Cor 9:8).
Sometimes God calms the storm that rages with us; at other times, he lets the storm rage and calms us. God’s grace will always see us through but it may not always get us out of the situation. He may neither snatch us from our predicament nor make a way around the problem. Nevertheless, he will help us go through it. Yes, God does not promise we will not go through fire, but he promises we will not get burnt. That is what God has promised through the prophet Isaiah: ‘When you pass through the water I shall be with you; when you pass through the rivers they will not overwhelm you; walk through fire, and you will not be scorched, through flames, and they will not burn you’ (43:2). As Lutzer (2000:100) puts it, ‘God may not drown the Pharaoh, [but] he will foil his attempt to bring us back to slavery’.
Friday was bleak and the dark forces won over the forces of good. Friends and followers of Christ fled in fear when the Son died. But after Easter Sunday, they never doubted God again. They learnt that when God seemed most absent, he was closest. When he looked powerless, he remained the most powerful.
Let us learn never to count God out. He will never let us down. He may look most dead but he is coming to life. No Black Friday, no Easter Sunday. Because of Friday, today we are living on Resurrection Sunday. Because of God’s perennial supply of his grace, we can confidently claim His promise when he says,
My grace is all you need; power is most fully seen in weakness (2 Cor 12:9). Because of God’s perennial supply of his grace, we can boldly affirm with the prophet Habakkuk who declares
The fig tree has no buds,
The vines bear no harvest,
The olive crop fails,
The orchards yield no food,
The fold is bereft of its flock,
And there are no cattle in the stalls
Even so I shall exult in the Lord
And rejoice in the God who saves me
The Lord God is my strength;
He makes me as sure-footed as a hind
And sets my feet on the height (Habakkuk 3:17-18)
Because of God’s perennial supply of his grace, we can echo the words of Daniel’s three friends when King Nebuchadnezzar threatened to burn them alive in the fiery furnace for refusing to bow before the golden image:
If there is a god who is able to save us from the blazing furnace, it is our God whom we serve; he will deliver us from your majesty’s power. But if not, be it known to your majesty that we shall neither serve your gods nor worship the gold image you have set us (Daniel 3:17-18).
A Chicago lawyer Horatio Spafford (1828-1888) sent his family on a cruise to London. His son had just died of pneumonia and the family was grieving. Spafford would join the family later. The family sat sail on a ship named Ville du Havre. Halfway through the voyage, in the dead of the night, another vessel rammed into the cruise ship. The Ville du Havre was ripped apart and sank in twenty minutes. In the midst of the confusion and panic, Mrs Spafford saw her four daughters swept away by the waves before a mast fell and knocked her unconscious. She was found floating on a piece of wreckage where she regained consciousness. Along with a few survivors, she reached Wales where she cabled her husband, ‘Saved alone’.
With great pain and sorrow, Spafford took the next ship and hastened to his wife’s side. When his ship reached the spot where the Ville du Havre sank and his four daughters were drowned, he wept and poured out his heart to God. In that moment of agony, he penned these poignant words (His friend Philip Bliss later put music to them):
When peace like a river attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll,
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed his own blood for my soul.
My sin - O the bless of this glorious thot
My sin, not in part, but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more:
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul.
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll:
The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend,
“Even so”- it is well with my soul
It is well, it is well
With my soul, with my soul
It is well, it is well
With my soul. (1604 words)
Discussion Questions
1 Why is God’s grace always sufficient?
2 Discuss the implications of Habakkuk 3:17-18
3 Share an experience whereby you experienced God’s
sufficient grace.