Response to Felt Need

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

There have been numerous times in my life why I felt a strong desire for something. Most circumstances I wanted to obtain a resource while other times I needed relief from a situation. In both cases, I felt like I had to have what I desired. Paul found himself in a similar circumstance in this passage. He needed relief from a situation. A “thorn in his flesh” was given to him, and Paul pleaded for God to take this away. He felt like this had to go and asked God to remove it. But God did not.

Sometimes what a man thinks he needs and what he actually needs are two completely different things. Paul thought he needed this thorn removed and God knew it was necessary. The key is to understand how Paul came to this conclusion. At first, he prayed for it to be gone. Expressing our feelings to God about our felt needs is honest and healthy. But what he did next was crucial. Paul allowed God’s Word to change his thinking. “My grace is sufficient” led Paul to embrace the thorn for the sake of Christ.

DO THIS TODAY: Honestly, tell God what you need and listen then respond to what He says.