Sufficient Grace

I normally wouldn't post such a long excerpt, but this was so good I decided to. I t's part of an article we read for a class earlier this semester.  I came across it again this morning and it was very timely.  So, without further ado...

"Resist the temptation to rethink God just because hard times come.  Look deeper.  Cling to Him tighter.  Refuse to question His motives.  He's doing something great within you.  Suffering is nothing new.

"It is not always the Father's plan to relieve the pressure.  Our happiness is not God's chief aim.  He doesn't have a wonderful (meaning 'comfortable') plan for everybody's life—not from a human perspective.  Often His plan is nowhere near wonderful.  As with Saul, His answer is not what we hoped and prayed for.  But, remembering that He is forming us more and more into the image of His Son, it helps us understand His answer is based on His long-range plan, not our immediate relief.  Thankfully, in the midst of that suffering, He gently whispers, 'My grace is sufficient for you.'  As with Saul, His grace supplies more than we need to endure whatever it is that threatens to undo us…His grace is more sufficient than your strength…sufficient to carry you through whatever your own, unique 'thorn' may be.

"All this time we thought power was perfected in success…The painful thorns make us weak.  But the good news is this: When we are weak, He pours His strength into us, which gives us an entirely new perspective on pain and suffering, hardship and pressure.  Those stresses and strains drive us to our knees.  It's at that point our God comes through.

"Let's stop looking for someone or something to blame…It's about willingly accepting God's plan, no matter what the circumstance.  It's about finding contentment in God's grace, regardless.
"I have lived long enough to learn that God's best deliveries come through the back door.  His gifts are best received when we need them most, and they always come in an understated manner, wrapped in mercy, and framed with this tender inscription: 'My grace is sufficient for you.'"

- Swindoll

Amen.