for his grace is sufficient

By Meron Asnake (Within Devotional Writer)

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, My power is made perfect in your weakness," so the power of Christ may rest upon me.
(2 Corinthians 12:9)

It is not the first time that I spent days staring at blank screens, taking hours contemplating my words, and discarding them before my fingers hit the keyboard. For so long, I did not have the courage to manifest the words that are held prisoners in my head.

It is my prayer to be authentic in my writing; however, I am apprehensive about sharing my real story. In working toward this week’s devotional, I struggled in communicating my thoughts. I feared rejection and disapproval of others. I focused on my inadequacy and criticized my writing skills. So, I continued to pray, but I did not get my response; or, I should say I did not get the response I wanted. Like Saul in 1 Samuel 14: 24-46, I wanted to make a rash vow, cast lots and take control. I wanted things in my timing, revelations in my convenience, and obedience in my comfort. And that beloved is what I call, grown folks temper tantrums; I was in my feelins'.

I experience these moments more often than I like to admit. It is my way of manipulating God to react and rush Him to my rescue; use His word against Him and thwart it for my own selfish desires. I say “affirming” verse like He is my deliverer, my fortress, and refuge; I shall cry out to him; Did He not say that His words will not return to Him void? It shall be given onto me, right? Right! Very quickly, my prayers turned into tantrums and became sinful. But with His grace and mercy, the Holy Spirit reminds me of Luke 4:12 And Jesus answered the devil “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” I felt exposed realizing that my worldly tricks do not work on the omniscient God. Hence, He answered my prayer in this raw moment and pressed on my heart to share my cringe worthy above tantrums.

Moreover, He reminded me of my life verse in  2 Corinthians 12:9-10.  But he said to me, “ My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in your weakness, so the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, I am content with weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. He is teaching me to rely on Him, to lift my eyes away from the inadequacies, ultimately off my pride (Exodus 4: 10-12), and onto Him. In doing so, I am encouraged and challenged NOT to glorify my sins and shortcomings, but to repent and turn away from my transgressions and rely on God in all my weaknesses. Therefore, I can put back the glory and honor where it always belonged.

Recognize that we do not have to do what He has called us to do, we GET to. It is an honor and privilege to be used by God. We get to live our life in the light of the Gospel.  reconciled with the Father through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He gifted us new identities in Christ (2 Corinthians 5: 11-21). So beloved, I want to encourage and challenge you to look at the state of your life, and surrender your weaknesses to God, repent of your sins, and share your testimonies.
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The weekly devotionals seek to encourage you to dig deeper into Scripture as you take the time to daily read, meditate, and internalize the verses in the devotional, along with the passages provided below to give greater context. Take the time to read them throughout the week (repetition is important) and ask the Holy Spirit to help you grasp what God is showing you about Himself, about you, and how to live in light of these truths. 

Passages to read/memorize/meditate:

1 Samuel 4:24-26
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Exodus 4:1-12
2 Corinthians 5:11-21

​Questions to Reflect on:

1. What are areas of your life God is unmasking?
2. How does your new identity in Christ allow you to live boldly in your weakness?
3. What triggers your need to be accepted, affirmed and celebrated by people? Do you surrender those to God?
4. How are you allowing God to affirm you? Are you in your feelins'?