God's Strength is our Victory!

Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane

"2 Corinthians 12:9  My Grace is Sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness" this scripture is one that I have mulled over for years trying to understand exactly how knowing this truth is suppose to help me through physical pain. Here, the great Apostle Paul suffered from a thorn in his flesh, a seemingly physical ailment that he wanted God to remove. But he prayed several times, and the ailment remained.  No doubt like many of us Paul was probably frustrated and confused.  Isn't God suppose to answer all of our  prayers? Isn't that what His word says? Well yes. I believe He does answer, but in some cases like this one we don't like the answer that He gives!

I think I am finally accepting in the way of truth, that every victory or answered prayer is not manifested in a physical deliverance from a situation. (Pardon me as I let out a huge sigh  and a  Lord help me?!)  Just as Paul cried out for deliverance, and Jesus, the Son of God cried out in the Garden of Gethsemane we also cry out for the "removal" of pain and suffering. But as we know in these two examples the suffering remained. If God loves us so much why would He let us suffer so much regardless of how hard we pray to escape it?  I believe He is trying to get us to fully rely on Him and not ourselves. 

Faith in God is not solely believing that He will be there to deliver us out of something. It is not saying a few coined phrases and  tossing our spiritually around to get what we want and when "WE" want it. I've been saved long enough to know, it doesn't always work that way.    

 But it is trusting that even in pain and suffering His will is being done. In our weakness God is made strong. It is the Victory that God is looking for. A victory where He alone is glorified.  Only through the strength of God can a man do what Paul did in his ministry continuously knowing that all of His wants were not met. Paul suffered greatly, and without the Grace and strength of God he would have given up. Just like many of us.  

Only the strength of God can give a man enough resolve to decide, "Not my will, but thy will be done", when He was asked to die for people who didn't love or accept Him! Wow, now what was I complaining about again? Lord I thank you for Victory in your Strength. 

    

Suffering has benefits...

1 Pet 5:10

                      After you have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you…

Wow, this scripture sort of puts a positive spin on the idea of having to endure long afflictions. We can often become discouraged, beaten and bruised up as we dig our roots in deeper to keep from falling under the weight of suffering and trials.  I know personally when I am going through tough trials, one in particular that seem to have taken up a good portion of my adult life so far, I first began to wonder okay why is this happening to me. What did I do to cause this?  Whether this is a positive attitude to have or not, it is the truth! And I believe in being as truthful as I can...these are my thoughts. I don’t think oh here’s another round of suffering to make me stronger, to make me perfect, or more settled in God. Perhaps one day I will get there. But I will say that as the suffering progress I do strive to become perfected, strengthened, established and settled.  And truth be told it is sort of an innate characteristic or nature that makes me not want to give up. So a person, who does not want to give up, naturally will try to hang on!  So I do what I need to do, I strengthen myself through prayer, and study of God’s word. I try to remind myself of what his word says, I try to encourage myself.  Yes I will be real, I cry.. Fuss or complain, I get very frustrated especially if it’s pain that is troubling my body because it is the only way I can get some kind of release from pain.  I agree I need to become more perfected in that area, but it is very hard when you are dealing with excruciating pain, not to cry out in some form of agony.  I often look for the days when the pain will no longer attack me…   When I read after you have suffered a while”  I wonder.. What is a while for me? What is a while with God?   It can drive you crazy trying to figure out what the expiration date is on your suffering. How much longer Jesus? It is not as though we can search  for such a date, or inquire with expectation of it coming to an end. We have no clue.  So as a result you become more strengthen if you continue to hold on. 

People who have endured a lot of blows can typically take a lot of blows, you sort of build a thick skin….there’s a popular saying flying around now and I’m not sure who started it but it’s very true, "What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger".  A person who has not suffered or has experienced little hardship will fold a lot easier than a person who has experienced a harder life.  So what is your settling, what is my settling?  Do we accept that fact that we many never stop suffering from some things? I don’t believe that.  I do believe that we become more settled in the fact that God is still God and he is still working for us in a positive way in the midst of our suffering.  We become settled in that God is still a Good God, even when things don’t look or feel Good.  I believe we become more settled in our faith.  

Many people can have faith as long as their faith is bringing them good news on a regular basis. The finances are good, their health is favorable, and the family life is good...everything they touch pretty much turns to Gold…most people believe when you have it like this... You are blessed! And indeed I would say that it is a blessing. But what about when you are suffering…5,10,15,20 plus years, and not always in different areas necessarily but the same area!  You know one of those Job’s or Joseph dilemmas.. 

Are you settled enough in your faith to say that God is still good, and that you are still blessed?   Needless to say man doesn’t see it that way.  People don’t associate suffering with blessings.. But God’s word says that if we suffer with Christ that we will also rule with him 2Tim 2:12 We’ve got to acknowledge the Word concerning this... It also said if Christ suffered in the flesh, than we should arm ourselves likewise!  But most people don’t want the suffering part of Jesus even though he suffered exclusively for us!  We tend to look over that Jesus endured a lot of suffering when he walked the earth, yes he blessed.  He is a king; he is the son of God but was not accepted or viewed as such. Christ suffered.    But when we have to suffer on earth for any length of time, we tend to think our faith in God isn’t working.   I believe when we start to have feelings like this there is more settling that needs to take place.   So as long as we are living on this side of glory there will be suffering, and there will be victories that run parallel... But one day we will reign forever with Christ in his eternal glory!  And this victory does bring a settling to my heart, and my spirit.