Have you ever wondered if God’s Grace is sufficient for you?
Many of us experience those moments in our lives when we begin to question whether God is still in our corner, whether He is sufficiently aware of what we are dealing with in our life. We might begin to wonder whether His grace truly is sufficient to carry us through.
As always, the Lord does have an answer for these concerns.
The Lord said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9a)
As is so often the case, there are stipulations and requirements regarding the blessings God intends to bestow on us.
The first is that we must come to experience our own weakness and our total dependence on God.
About myself I will not boast, except about my weaknesses. (2 Corinthians 12:5)
The above verse was written by St. Paul following a time of great trial. He has just endured persecution in Ephesus. He knew what it was to experience his own weakness in the face of trials. Revealing our dependence on Him is one of the most important reasons the Lord allows us to experience trials. They always reveal our radical reliance on God.
Through many trials and much suffering, Paul came understand that he was completely dependent on Jesus Christ as his only source of strength. If we wish to experience Christ’s power within us, we must first come to accept, embrace and declare our need for God.
I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me. (2 Corinthians 12:9b)
But there is another equally important requirement for experiencing how God’s grace is sufficient for our need. We must limit our request for God’s graces to the immediate circumstances in which we require them.
Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil. (Matthew 6:34)
Not only is God’s grace supplied to us sufficiently in our weakness, it is also supplied when, and only when, we need it.
These words from the Gospel of Matthew are spoken by the Lord Himself, and He is saying that we will find sufficient grace to overcome the worry and anxiety we are experiencing today. However, grace will not be provided for the worry and anxiety we create ourselves by projecting our fears into the future, and then living with them today.
God’s grace is available to us at each and every moment, but it is not intended to address events we have not yet lived, or only potentially tragic circumstances that have not yet happened in our lives.
Just consider how much fear, worry and anxiety we experience from future circumstances and events we only anticipate might happen and often never do.
Jesus promises we will have grace sufficient if we acknowledge our weakness and dependence on Him. And He expects us to learn to live only in the present moment, choosing not to live tomorrow’s anxiety today. This is only possible through the power of prayer.
Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)
Copyright © 2024, Deacon Mark Danis
Image credit:"St. Paul in Prison," Gustave Doré, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons