Devos for April 12th (By Jordan W.)

“Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.  And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”  (2 Corinthians 12:8-9)

If ever there was a red headed step child of the bible, it was Paul.  He was the most persecuted of all apostles and boasted the most impressive resume of suffering since the days of Job.  Take a look at this rap sheet of persecution:
*5 times- whipped within an inch of his life.
*3 times- beaten with rods.
*3 times- shipwrecked and stranded in the sea.
*1 time- stoned and left for dead.
*Countless times in peril, weariness, toil, nakedness, and hunger.
The list could go on, but I think you get the idea, Paul had it pretty rough.  And despite all his great suffering, never did Paul utter a word of complaint.  Never, that is, until the “thorn” in his side.  We don’t know exactly what the thorn was; all we know is that it drove Paul to his knees, pleading with God three times to remove it.  He endured everything else, what "thorn" could be so bad that he felt he could not endure it?  We don’t know, but we do know that Paul wanted it gone.
Something inside of me wants God to remove this thorn, because if God won’t remove Paul’s “thorn” what chance do I have?  I mean, this is the apostle Paul, right?  This is the greatest evangelist that the world has ever known.  This is a man who gave up everything to follow Christ and held nothing, nothing back.  Surely God will answer this one small request, but… He doesn’t.
Instead, he offers him this, “My grace is sufficient.  My strength is made perfect in your weakness”
Paul learned what we must learn.  Sometimes at our weakest point, we lean on God the most.  And, only when we are weak, when we have no more strength of our own, do we see just how strong He is.  Sure God can take away all of our troubles, sure he can take away our thorns, but then we would never be weak enough to seek His strength.  Instead, he allows us to feel the pain as the world presses down upon us.  He allows us to limp weakly into His open arms.  Why?  Because when we are weak, He is strong.
Prayer:
“Lord, please help us to find your strength in our times of weakness”