His Grace is Sufficient

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His Grace is Sufficient

by Brent Goodge

Today, the world looks a whole lot like Matthew 24:7, “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places” (NKJV). The passage continues to prophesy religious persecution and deception.

Does any of this sound like our world today? How many millions will die of Covid? How many floods, fires, hurricanes and earthquakes can we take? How many Christians will be tortured and killed because they refuse to renounce the blood of Christ as their only Hope of salvation? You can almost hear the cry, “How long, O Lord?” (Revelation 6:10). “How long will the wicked triumph?” (Psalm 94:3).

The apostle Paul dealt with some sort of physical malady. What that was, the Bible does not say. Some have guessed poor vision after Jesus restored Paul’s sight through Ananias (Acts 9:17-18). We do not know for sure.

Whatever Paul suffered, it truly bothered him. There is no record of his praying for his back to be healed after the severe beating he received at Philippi (Acts 16:22-23). The Bible never says Paul prayed for God to remove the effects of the head injuries after being stoned in Lystra (Acts 14:19). But this “thorn in the flesh” led Paul to plead with God three times to remove it (2 Corinthians 12:7-8).

Remember that Paul was used by God to perform miraculous healings of all sorts of diseases (Acts 19:11). The sick or their families would send handkerchiefs to Paul to touch and upon their return home, these objects would be used to heal the sick (Acts 19:12). Shipwrecked on Malta, Christ worked through Paul to every single disease on the entire island (Acts 28:9). Imagine seeing Jesus not just working all around you, but through you, and yet you could not receive healing for your disease. It would be so easy for Paul to ask in frustration like Esau, “Bless me—me also, O my Father!” (Genesis 27:34).

In response to Paul’s prayer for healing, Christ gave him something infinitely better. Christ assured Paul that He was in control, that He would never withhold anything from Paul that would be for his ultimate good, and that He could best work for the salvation of souls, including Paul’s, by not

granting healing of this malady. “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in [your] weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Matthew 24 predicts terrible religious persecution, but it results in taking the gospel everywhere. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). “The earth was illuminated with His glory” (Revelation 18:1). “Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all” (Revelation 22:20-21). His grace is sufficient for us!

About The Author Brent Goodge lives in Whitfield County and is so thankful for the sufficiency of the grace of Christ.