Here We Go Again
How can we be thankful in all things. What if things go badly for us... should we still be thankful? Sometimes bad things happen because we live in a sinful and broken world. That doesn’t mean that we give up or spend our days complaining. In the Bible, there were times that God allowed bad things to happen as a means of punishment. For example, God’s people turned from Him and He allowed an enemy nation to come in and take them captive. God used bad things to protect His people. Causing hail to fall on the enemy or the Red Sea to collapse on the whole Egyptian army. There were times bad things happened to help other people understand. Healing the blind man was used to testify to the power of God. Job was struck by the Devil, by God’s permission, to teach that Job's faith was enough. We even hear of the Apostle Paul facing a “thorn in the flesh” to keep him from become conceited by what he knew or experienced. Let’s look at Paul’s circumstance. It is found in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 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.” I’m not going to compare myself to the Apostle Paul by saying my knee problems are to keep me from becoming conceited, but it gives me opportunity and encouragement to draw closer to the True Physician... God. I can ask God why or I can honestly say, “God’s grace is sufficient.” In my weakness, I find strength in God. We are not told what Paul’s thorn in the flesh was, but it kept him focused on God. I am being pushed to greater dependence on God, which is a good thing in the long run. We have been given a life changing message of hope. Nothing should stop us. Father, when ministry is going well, help me not to become conceited. When life get tough, help me find strength in You. Amen