When Your Strength Runs Out, His Grace Remains
"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. 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." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
I'm certain that, as someone reading this, you may have had times when you’ve prayed for God to change a situation, and instead, He gives you grace to walk through it.You may have asked Him to remove it, to fix it, or to make it easier.You ask, “Lord, when is this going to end?”And sometimes His answer is not immediate deliverance.Sometimes His answer is: “My grace is sufficient for you.”
This may be speaking to you today:
GOD HAS NOT ABANDONED YOU IN THE HARD PLACE.
“Paul pleaded with the Lord three times to take away the thorn in his flesh. But instead of removing it, the Lord answered him with something greater than an explanation. He gave Paul a revelation.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”In other words, Paul, what you are facing will not have the final word. My grace will.We often think strength means keeping going without becoming tired, discouraged, overwhelmed, or weary. But kingdom strength looks different.Sometimes strength is admitting, “Lord, I cannot do this without You.”Sometimes strength is waking up and saying, “Holy Spirit, I need You today.” Every day I need Jesus.Sometimes strength is taking one more step when you don't have strength to keep going.Sometimes strength is trusting God when nothing around you looks like what He promised you.
Here is a word for you.
STOP MEASURING GOD’S PRESENCE BY HOW STRONG YOU FEEL
Your weakness does not mean God has left you. Your weariness doesn't mean you have lost your faith, and your tears don't mean you have stopped trusting Him.There are places in our lives where God allows us to come to the end of ourselves so that we can discover something we could never learn while depending on our own strength:
HIS GRACE REALLY IS ENOUGH.
Enough for today.Enough for this battle, for the diagnosis, for this season, for the disappointment, for the unanswered question, for the assignment He has placed before you.Enough when you understand. And enough when you don't.I have learned that there are moments when you don't need more of your own strength. You need more awareness of HIS.Because when I am weak, He is still strong.When I am tired, He is still faithful.When I don't know what tomorrow holds, He is already there.When my natural strength says, “I can't,” His grace says, “You don't have to do this alone.”Beloved, perhaps you have been asking God to remove something, and you are wondering why He hasn't moved yet.Don't mistake the presence of the thorn for the absence of God.HE IS THERE.
His grace, His power, and His presence are there.And the very place you thought would destroy you may become the place where the power of Christ rests upon you.Paul continued:“Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”Oh, what a revelation!The weakness wasn't the end of Paul's story.
THE POWER OF CHRIST RESTED ON HIM THERE.
So today, I am not ashamed to say that I need Him.I need His grace, His strength, His presence.I need the Holy Spirit.And maybe that's exactly where God wants us. Not pretending to have it all together but completely surrendered and completely dependent upon Him.So if you are tired today, if you feel weak, if you have prayed and the situation hasn't changed yet;Hear the Word of the Lord:
“MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOU.”You are not walking through this season by your own strength.His grace is carrying you.His power is working in you.His presence is surrounding you.
And when your strength runs out.
HIS GRACE REMAINS.
"Holy Spirit, help us to stop depending on our own strength and rest in the sufficiency of Your grace. In every weak place, reveal the power of Jesus. When we are tired, strengthen us. When we are discouraged, remind us that You are near. And when we cannot see the way forward, give us grace for the next step.Heavenly Father, let Your power rest upon us.We surrender our weakness to You, knowing that Your grace will always be enough. In Jesus’ Name, Amen."
If you are reading this and you do not know Jesus, or you feel far from Him, this is your moment. Jesus taught that to enter the Kingdom of God, we must be born again, made new through faith in Him. If you are unsure what that means or have never made that decision, I encourage you to connect with a mature believer who can walk with you as you place your faith in Jesus Christ, grow as His disciple, be baptized, and begin your new life in Him.
Get planted. Find a Bible-teaching, Holy Spirit-filled church family that will pray for you, love you, disciple you, and walk alongside you. Pursue Jesus with your whole heart and watch Him transform your life.
Pastor Satise Roddy, MTh, ThD
Come Expecting … Leave Transformed
Satise Roddy Ministries