Week 4 – How God Answers Prayer

A Prayer His Strength

Read: 2 Corinthians 12:6–10

SOAP: 2 Corinthians 12:8–9

I asked the Lord three times about this, that it would depart from me. But he said to me, “My grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” So then, I will boast most gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may reside in me.

Into the text

Paul shares his plight of God answering “no” to his prayer for deliverance. We don’t know what Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was. What we do know is that Paul assumed he would be better off without it, whether that meant he was no longer in pain, better able to do ministry, or better equipped to share the gospel. God answered that He would be glorified more in Paul’s weakness.

God’s strength was most visible when Paul could not accomplish his mission apart from God’s help. If Paul were able to do it on his own, God would not have been glorified. His strength is made perfect when we are weak. Paul expressed gratitude for his thorn in the flesh because it revealed God’s constant presence and grace in his life.

As believers in Christ, our trials, tests, and suffering will purify our hearts by burning off self-reliance, self-centeredness, impatience, and arrogance. When we recognize our need for God at all times, it is easier to see His work in and through us. Trials and tests and thorns in the flesh strengthen our faith as we endure and persevere, clinging to God in every moment. The suffering we experience reveals to the world that our God is worthy of any suffering we may endure on this earth.

What answers to prayer have left you doubting God’s love and provision for you? Will you pray for a God-centered perspective and for His grace and strength to help you endure?

Prayer

Father God, I thank You that Your strength is made perfect in my weakness. Help me cling to You even as my heart is breaking. Lord, teach me how to take pleasure in suffering for Your sake, so I may have the privilege of sharing in Your suffering. Remind me that those who love You will experience sorrow and disappointment but will also experience Your great love and presence. In Jesus’ name, amen.