READ 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).
I have peripheral neuropathy. It is called the silent disease because most people have never heard of it. Millions of older adults are affected by it. It starts with numbness in the feet and hands and eventually leads to pain from the peripheral nerves, which are slowly dying. Balance becomes an issue as the numbness increases. Falling is a constant danger. The symptoms can be treated with medication that lessens the pain, but there is no cure for the disease.
The Apostle Paul had something that caused him pain. He described it as a thorn in the flesh. I can identify with that, and maybe you can too. We pray, but we often don’t get any relief from the pain. Yet God’s grace is sufficient to live with the pain. Pain should not be wasted. God has a use for it, to take my weakness and make me strong in His grace. It is God’s way of perfecting me. When I am strong, I become self-reliant instead of being dependent upon God. When I am weak, I see eternal perspectives more clearly.
In comparison to the suffering of Jesus, mine is light. It will also only last a brief moment in comparison to eternity. My suffering is achieving an eternal glory that is beyond comparison. Therefore, I do not lose heart (2 Corinthians 4:16-17). Someday, my perishable body will be clothed with the imperishable, and I will no longer have any pain.
Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to see that my present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in me.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him (1 Corinthians 2:9).
