Today’s Reading: 2 Corinthians 12

8 Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, 9 but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
2 Corinthians 12:8-9

Challenges move us forward. 

Sometimes, we wonder why we must suffer. Paul did, too. This section of chapter 12 contains the famous “thorn in the flesh,” a mysterious malady we can only guess at, but one that has left Paul suffering mightily. Three times, Paul says, he’s asked God to take it away. Like Job, he’s asking for a release from suffering. And rather than get that release, Paul gets the message back, “my grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” 

Not very satisfying, right? We, like Paul, want release, not more suffering that will somehow strengthen us. But consider challenges you’ve known in the past. Those challenges grew us somehow, made us better, more capable. We are not defined by those challenges, but they prepare us to make a larger difference. 

Consider that the best people to encourage someone with a recent cancer diagnosis is someone who’s walked the cancer journey for a while. The best person to come alongside us after the death of a loved one is someone who has also walked that road of grief. In my own experience lately, some of the best encouragers for me have been those who also suddenly lost their jobs. They have pointed me down the road, helping me have courage for my own journey. 

These challenges should not define our identities; only the love of God should do that. But they become lessons, ways God uses us to make a difference in the lives of others. And in that, we see how God’s “power is made perfect in weakness.”

Think
What challenges have you known? How did God make you better for it? 

Pray
Ask God to show you lessons you learned from previous challenges and how God has equipped you to make a difference through it.

Do
Find a way to live out the lesson(s) from a previous challenge in your life today.

Think, Pray, Do. As we respond in faith to scripture, God moves in power through our minds, hearts, and bodies. We are the people of God. Thanks for reading today. Go in peace. Amen.

Think, Pray, Do devotionals by Ted Goshorn follow the suggested bible reading plan from his website and book, Prayer Changes Us. Find this Bible reading plan at tedgoshorn.org/biblereading. If you have found today’s devotion helpful, don’t forget to subscribe for daily emails at tedgoshorn.org and share with others that we may think, pray, and do faithfully.