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God Said No Three Times
Andrea Lende • December 5, 2020
II Corinthians 12:8-9
God Said No Three Times
You can also listen to the meditation and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/God-Said-No-Three-Times-endmfe
II Corinthians 12:8-9
“Three times I called upon the Lord and besought [Him] about this and begged that it might depart from me;”
“But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect in your weakness.”
Paul was addressing the people in the Church of Corinth about the pain he had lived with for fourteen years.
He told them he was brought up in heaven (paradise) to hear and see things which there were no human words for.
He was shown many wonderful and glorious things by the Lord.
Some of which are written about in the book of Revelations.
However, in order so he would not become too arrogant about being chosen to have such an experience he was given a physical ailment that tormented him.
Well, much of our lives we are without pain.
We don’t fully understand the luxury of being pain free until we aren’t.
We often take our health for granted.
It isn’t until we break a bone or get sick that we experience pain and understand it.
And then we are anxious to get rid of it and simply feel ‘normal’ again.
Most of the time we expect to heal and feel better.
This wasn’t Paul’s experience.
He asked the Lord to take away his pain three times.
And three times the Lord said, No.
The Lord told him, “My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect in your weakness.”
God wasn’t going to free Paul of his infirmity.
Instead, He was going to pour His mercy upon Paul.
He was going to continue to be the strength Paul needed to endure it.
God’s strength and power is demonstrated when we need Him as well.
When our strength is gone, we have to rely on the Lord.
There is no other place to turn.
I have lived many a day where I felt I was not strong enough to go on.
I was sick for many years.
However, it was during those years I found the Lord in a significant way.
It was during those years I found I could depend on and rely on the Lord.
He brought me closer to Him.
Although I do not wish to experience that sort of illness again, I would not wish that experience away.
The Lord’s strength has been shown perfect in my weakness over and over again.
Today I choose to be completely reliant on the Lord and experience His perfect strength inside of my weakness.
May you find the Lord’s strength to be sufficient for you and your weakness as well.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for showing me You are sufficient. You are more than enough. You are more than enough to cover my weakness. Thank You, Father, for being my strength when all strength is gone. Thank You for Your grace and mercy which You so generously pour over my life. Thank You for drawing me close to You so I can fully rely on You as my weakness becomes real to me. You strengthen me in every way. You fill me with Your strength so I can meet the challenges I face with confidence because You are more than enough. Keep me seeking You and relying on You for everything I need, Lord. I worship You and praise Your Name! You are the God of this universe and God of my heart. Keep me at Your feet. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM all you need, My child, and I will hold you up through the storms of your life.
Response: You are all I need, Father, as Your strength is poured into my spirit.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.