July 21
My Grace
is Sufficient
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
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.
Daily Steps
When trials overwhelm us, we often seek to eliminate the weakness rather than embrace the divine promise. This passage provides the ultimate assurance for sustained peace in chronic suffering: My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.
The peace in this promise is found in Christ's resting power:
The Divine Promise: When the Apostle Paul begged the Lord to remove a persistent, painful trial (a "thorn in the flesh"), God gave him a revolutionary answer: "My grace is sufficient for you." This means God's unmerited favor (grace, Day 202) is precisely the amount of strength needed, no matter the size of the weakness or difficulty.
The Divine Paradox: The reason this grace is sufficient is that Christ's "power is made perfect in weakness." God's strength is most clearly and beautifully displayed when the believer's human strength is completely exhausted. Our weakness is the stage for His perfect power.
The Result is Boasting: This understanding transforms the attitude toward suffering. Paul chose to "boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses"—even finding delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships... The goal is not to eliminate pain, but to allow Christ’s power to rest on me and be clearly seen. This paradoxical strength brings profound peace.
Your peace in suffering is secured by God's power. Stop fighting your weakness and start embracing it, resting in the promise that My grace is sufficient for you, allowing Christ's perfect power to be displayed in your life.
Reflective Question
What "thorn in the flesh" (a recurring struggle, weakness, or difficulty) are you currently begging God to remove? How can you verbally declare and accept His answer today: "My grace is sufficient for you," and genuinely boast in that weakness?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I confess my frustration with my weaknesses and my desire for things to be easy. I pray for the faith to accept Your promise: My grace is sufficient for me.
Help me to boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, knowing that Your power is made perfect in them. Secure my peace today in the certainty that when I am weak, then I am strong in You. Amen.
