“Because of the extraordinary greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in distresses, in persecutions, in difficulties, in behalf of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” (Acts 12:7-10 NASB)
When asked by a preacher why he did not go to church anymore, a man stated that it was because he had repeatedly asked the Lord to take away his arthritic condition, but the Lord had not. The old preacher’s immediate response was, “It is like that sometimes. While He can certainly heal you, sometimes He wants you to know that His power will be perfected in weakness, just as the case was with the Apostle Paul in the opening verses.” The man quickly stated, “That’s just an old bible story!” Almost without letting the objecting man finish his sentence, the seasoned preacher said, “The bible is true!” He went on to quote verses in The Book of 2 Timothy to support his statement, “All scriptures is inspired by God.” Trying his best to be convincing, the old preacher added another extract from the word of God, from The Book of Isaiah: “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of God stands forever.” The obstinate man replied, “That’s still bible!” The preacher had just as much persistence as the man had obstinance! He says, “When you asked to the Lord to help you get better, He was going to do just that sir! Like I said, “It is like that sometimes!” He continued, “Let me get personal. Let me share my story. I take medicine for five different ailments! I prayed for relief more than once. This is what happened. The Lord did not take away the ailments, but He gave me the power to keep on faithfully serving Him for decades in spite of the ailment! Did the Lord answer my prayers? You may doubt it, but I will declare, “Oh, but yes, He did! My perseverance in pressing on, says the old preacher, ‘Nothing but God!’”
What’s your story? I’m sure you can apply the words below to your life as a testimony to the fact that the Lord answers prayer and sometimes, it is like that for the benefit of others, helping them to endure on their journey through it all, helping them not to be too confident on their achievements for the Lord, and helping them realize, “Nothing but God!” Enjoy worship today, my friend! If you are in Indianapolis this week, stop by Salt Of The Earth Church where service begins at 9:50 a.m. Be blessed!
“Through it all! Through it all! I’ve learned to trust in Jesus. I’ve learned to trust in God.” (Lyrics by Andrae Crouch)
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King