Sufficient Grace

And to keep me from being too elated by the abundance of revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I besought 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." I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities; for when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:7–10

Job demands an explanation from God for all the suffering he has endured. God's answer to him, "I am God." Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane for the cup of the cross to pass from Him receives no response. St. Paul pleads with God three times that his physical affliction should leave him. God responds with sufficient grace without healing.

Western Christians struggle with the will of God. The will of God is often a mystery to us, at times hidden within the struggles and challenges of life. We may have endured great hardship, praying for relief, and none comes. We who are accustomed to excepting good if we do the right things are taken aback when we are told, "My grace is sufficient for you."

Job did not argue with God; instead, he repented of what he could not understand. God is God. St. Paul continued in his weakness, serving Christ despite his physical struggles. Jesus prayer, 'nevertheless, Thy will, not mine, be done.'

Jesus has bid us take up our cross and follow Him. Our cross joins us to Jesus' suffering and death. We are subject to the hostility of the world, the devil, and our sinful selves. Whatever may come in this life, we discover that even in weakness, Christ is strong. By His grace, we are strong in Him.