2 Corinthians 12:7-10

How Do I Protect Myself?

A Question Of Power

But what do we do when we have trusted God to protect us, and God does not shield us from heartache and difficulty? All this week, we have been reading Paul’s words to the Corinthians as he has been reiterating that he will not play the prestige game the other ministers have been playing. He doesn’t care about showing people what he has done. He will trust in God to take care of him.

But then we read this section of 2 Corinthians which surprises us. Paul has trusted in God to care for him. Paul has asked God to remove some form of difficulty from this life. And God has told him “no.” God has left this problem in Paul’s life, so that Paul will not puff himself up with pride. God tells Paul that “my grace is sufficient for you,” meaning that God is not protecting Paul like Paul wants, but God is helping Paul like Paul needs.

When we face difficulty, God is with us even if he is not protecting us like we think he should. God will use our vulnerability for his glory. And because God will be glorified, then we are not actually weak, but we are strong.