I’m going to be real… There are some moments where I still live in fear as a believer. I say this because sometimes the thorns in my side prevent me from seeing the truth of who God is. I struggle with this often, and sometimes I would pray it away, expecting God to remove the hurt and pain, but He didn’t. I never understood why. Until I came across 2 Corinthians 12:7-10:

” Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹ But he 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. ¹⁰ 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.”

Paul refers to this “thorn,” and I assume it is something he had been struggling with for a while and had tried to overcome through prayer. What are some things that you’ve tried to pray away, expecting God to remove? Now, with a shifted mind, do you think God is sufficient enough to be your strength even despite this “thorn”? He says to us all, His grace is sufficient! The definition of sufficient means “enough”. God is enough in His power and strength to take care of you and that thing that feels heavy on you. However, for His power to be present, you must surrender that “thorn” so that His power can rest on you!

Let’s pray:

Father, thank you for who You are and who I am to You. I come before you with a heavy heart and a mind that is ready to lay it all down. My load does not burden you, and You are sufficient enough to handle what you already know. As I lay these things down, please renew my mind to see who You are in my life, to see the Power that also works within me. May I never forget that I am never alone, nor forgotten, because You are always with me. You are enough. Sometimes it does take my weakness to see your strength, but that will not limit me from seeing the strength that is in You. May we continue to rest in your strength, Father. Amen