Abundant Grace

As we meditate on the pain and purpose of the thorn in the flesh that the Apostle Paul was given, a good place to start is the more than adequate grace of God. It’s a good and wise starting point because focusing on the pain of our thorns can be overwhelming. We might be like Peter on Lake Galilee, sinking because he focused on the waves, not on the Master of the waves.

Pause for a moment today and reflect on God’s all-sufficient grace from 2 Corinthians 12:9.

My grace: it is God’s undeserved strength that was available to Paul and is poured into us by the Holy Spirit.

is sufficient: God’s grace is lavish. There is an abundant supply, a never-ending store, an overflowing measure. God is not saying to you today, “My grace will help you to scrape through.” He’s underlining that his grace is more than enough for every challenge you face.

John 1:16 captures the endless supply of this grace: Out of his [Christ’s] fullness have we all received, grace upon grace. When we stand at the edge of the ocean of God’s grace, wave upon wave of his blessings come splashing onto our shores. They are endless.

That’s what Psalm 23 so beautifully describes—a life in which we lack for nothing that really matters. He says: The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. Because the LORD is his shepherd the psalmist receives: more than sufficient surroundings (green pastures and quiet waters); more than adequate healing for his broken soul (he restores my soul); more than enough protection and in the process, elimination of fear (even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me); more than generous, banquet-like provisions (you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies); and this abundant grace, divine goodness, and endless love pursue him to the end of his days and into eternity (surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever).

Before we plumb the pain of our thorns in the flesh in the rest of this devotional, accept the timeless reassurance of these words. My grace is sufficient for you…God’s grace is individualized. It was for Paul; it is for you.

• Consider writing or verbalising a prayer as your response to this abundant grace.
• Or use this prayer:

Heavenly Father, please pour your more than adequate grace into me today.

Lord Jesus, I long for more and more of the waves of your completely sufficient grace.

Holy Spirit, I confess my weakness, my inadequacy, and as I experience painful thorns, I ask you to infuse me with the strength I need, not just to scrape through,

but to rejoice in my weaknesses.

Blessed Holy Trinity, I worship you.

Amen.

Excerpts from The Point of Your Thorns: Finding Purpose in Your Pain

by Rowland Forman