“Because of the surpassing greatness and extraordinary nature of the revelations [which I received from God], for this reason, to keep me from thinking of myself as important, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan, to torment and harass me—to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might leave me; but He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.” Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me. So I am well pleased with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, and with difficulties, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak [in human strength], then I am strong [truly able, truly powerful, truly drawing from God’s strength].” (2 Corinthians 12:7 Amplified Bible)
I feel like praying this Friday morning. Will you pray this prayer with me? Will you let the words below be your words, recognizing and referring to God, expressing to Him, greater is Thy grace?
Father God, I thank you for another day! I may face some limitations today, but I know you are with me and you are larger than any limitations. Greater is Thy grace! I may have to still deal with a health issue today, but thank you that my physical ailment has turned me to depend on you to keep pressing on and to live according to your will. I’m weak, but you are strong! Yes, your power is perfected and completed in my weakness. Greater is Thy grace!
Lord my thorn in the flesh may be an attitude that I can only get over with your help. I recognize that to be true at this very moment. So I pray that your grace will show itself and help me depend on you. I don’t deserve it, but you keep dishing out your grace. I’m learning in all kinds of situations, greater is Thy grace!
It’s Friday Lord, and in my weakness, I will need Jesus! I will need His strength! He can help me take my limitations in stride and with good cheer. He can graciously help me cut down to size any limitations with good cheer. As it tells me in the same passage in The Message Bible, that includes abuse, accidents, opposition, and bad breaks. I will do as your word says and just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become, because of You Greater is Thy grace!
And at the end of the day, if anyone ask me, “How did I make it this far with my personal thorn in my flesh””, I will just borrow some words from a Luther Barnes’ song and let the lyrics in the song help me arrive at the answer to the question posed: “’Greater Is Thy Grace’ than whatever we go through.” The words Lord go like this! “How did I make it all these years? How did I make it this far? Through the valleys and over the hills, I know it had to be God. How did I make it through the storm? How did I make it through the rain? If you want to know, just how I got here, it’s so easy to explain. It was God’s grace.” (An excerpt from “God’s Grace by Luther Barnes and the Red Budd Gospel Choir.) Greater is Thy grace!
I pray this morning prayer, along with other readers, other humble children of God, praying in Jesus’ name. Amen! Lord, let me add a P.S. to the prayer. We feel better now! Please make it so that all who are reading and praying shall indeed experience, “Greater is Thy grace!”
Thank you for praying with me my friends. Be blessed!”
“Not that we are adequate in ourselves so as to consider anything as having come from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God…” (2 Corinthians 3:5 NASB)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King