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. 

    

Overcome your crazy world

St John 16:33   "In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

Have you been watching the news lately? It is utterly depressing. It seems that every station seeks out the most horrific, frightening, and saddest stories to report on, and not just once but REPEATEDLY, the same stories every hour.  It's quite disturbing actually and I think I am about to minimize how often I watch the local news because it does little to keep my mind on the good things of God as He commanded us to do! (Phil 4:8)  If we didn't know any better based on what is being fed to us you would believe that nothing good is going on in the world.  And I for one know that is not true, but do you  sometimes  find it challenging not to think about the horrible things that happen? I think because it's pushed in our faces daily. The world is so horrible I think wow any day now Jesus is sure to come back, people have gone beyond mad, but year after year the world is still hanging on, and so we have to hang on!      

I was meditating on this scripture today, and I often  wonder how in the world are we suppose to be cheerful when we are assured that there's going to be tribulation in our lives?  We have to remember that  Satan wants to keep us fearful, but God is saying despite what you see or experience you can ALWAYS have peace if you seek it through Me.  I thank God that my real life is hid in Him as the scriptures says, I can be cheerful in that God has given me His indwelling spirit to draw from whenever I feel lonely or overwhelmed.     Sometimes when we are going through tough times we want to run everywhere, and to everyone, all while avoiding the only person you can help us, Jesus Christ. 

 Jesus has already overcome the world, with the sacrifice of His life for our sins. He rose from the dead, overcoming eternal death for us!  And if we accept Him, run to Him, and dwell in Him, we become overcomers every single day because we don't buy into the lie that our life is as bad as Satan wants us to believe that it is. No matter what we experience we as Saints of God, have the eternal assurance that we are overcomers in this world, because our Father has already made the way for us.