Grace Sufficient for You
And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
Paul was troubled by an affliction – a thorn in the flesh – that was not removed by prayer. Yet God had a response for Paul. God told Paul, My grace is sufficient for you. Instead of removing the thorn from Paul’s life, God gave and would keep giving His grace to Paul. The grace God gave Paul was sufficient to meet his every need.
To receive this, Paul had to believe that God’s grace is sufficient. We usually don’t believe God’s grace is sufficient until we believe we are insufficient. For many of us, especially in American culture, this is a huge obstacle. We are the people who idolize the “self-made man” and want to rely on ourselves. But we can’t receive God’s strength until we know our weakness. We can’t live in the truth that God’s grace is enough until we know that we, in ourselves, are not enough.
My grace is sufficient for you is a great declaration, and you may emphasize any aspect of this sentence.
“My grace is sufficient for you.” Grace is the favor and love of God in action. It means He loves us and is pleased by us. Can you hear it from God? “My love is enough for you.” Isn’t it true?
“My grace is sufficient for you.” Whose grace is it? It is the grace of Jesus. Isn’t His love, His favor, enough? What will Jesus fail at? Remember too that Jesus also suffered thorns; He cares, and He knows.
“My grace is sufficient for you.” It is right now. Not that it will be some day, but right now, at this moment, His grace is sufficient. You thought something had to change before His grace would be enough. You thought, “His grace was sufficient once, His grace might be sufficient again, but not now, not with what I am going through.” Despite that feeling, God’s word stands. “My grace is sufficient for you.”
“My grace is sufficient for you.” It is rather modest of God to describe His grace as sufficient. That word can be used of something that barely meets the need, but God’s supply is far more than sufficient. The grace of the triumphant, resurrected Jesus is enough – and more than enough!
“My grace is sufficient for you.” I’m so glad God didn’t say, “My grace is sufficient for Paul the Apostle.” I might have felt left out. But God made it broad enough. God’s grace is sufficient for you! Are you beyond it? Are you so different? Is your thorn worse than Paul’s or worse than many others who have known the triumph of Jesus? Of course not.
Brother, sister: this sufficient grace is for you. By faith, receive it in Jesus’ name.
Click here for David’s commentary on 2 Corinthians 12