Based on 2 Corinthians 12:7b-10

Recently, a Marine Corps gunnery sergeant’s wife reached out to me and said, “Chaplain Horn, my husband is dealing with some things. He has been deployed in the past, and he’s seen some things and experienced some things. He’s seen the death of our enemy combatants. He has seen the pain and suffering of civilians in that country. He has seen the pain and suffering of his battle buddies, and he feels that pain and suffering in himself. And he’s asking the question, ‘Where does God fit into the reality of our human suffering?’ ”

He’s not alone, is he? A U.S. Army colonel recently reached out to me and said, “Chaplain Horn, my teenage daughter is suffering and in pain and is dealing with some things and she’s asking me some questions that I don’t have the answers to. Namely, where does God—a good, holy, just, loving God—fit into the reality of our human suffering?”

They’re not alone, are they? The apostle Paul wrote a letter to the Christians in Corinth, and in this second letter to the Corinthians, in chapters 11 and 12, Paul talks about pain and suffering. He specifically talks about the pain and the suffering he went through as an apostle for Jesus.

In chapter 12 Paul talks about specific pain and suffering and describes it as a thorn in his side—literally a sharp thing, a messenger of Satan to torment him, to vex him, to irritate him. And it’s so bad that Paul finally says, “Enough is enough.” He prays to the Lord Jesus to take it away. He literally says, “Three times I begged God to take it away from me.”

So what is it for you? This pain in your side, this thorn in your flesh, this messenger of Satan to torment you and vex you? The apostle Paul never explained what the thorn in his side was—whether it was physical, mental, emotional, psychological, or spiritual. Maybe it was all of the above, and that’s good. Because then you and I can put our names into this story too and say, “Hey, we get it.” We’ve suffered mentally, emotionally, physically, psychologically, spiritually—all of the above—and we’ve prayed to God maybe more than three times. We’ve begged God for weeks, months, maybe even years to take it away.

And how does God answer the apostle Paul? He says this: “Enough is enough. Enough is my grace for you.” Jesus answered Paul, “Enough is my grace for you. Sufficient is my grace for you. Adequate is my grace for you. This love that you have not earned, that you have not asked for—it is undeserved. This is enough for you, Paul, in your suffering and in your pain.”

Why was God’s love for Paul enough? Because Jesus said to him, “For my power is made perfect in weakness” (1 Corinthians 12:9). “This well-known power of mine reaches its goal in weakness.” We see that in Jesus’ own life, don’t we? We see Jesus’ weakness on the cross, being tormented in body, mind, and soul as he bore the guilt of the world. That weight must have weighed down on his soul and on his mind. The shame and the embarrassment. The weakness of dying as a criminal on the cross. But through it God reaches his goal, through the pain and suffering of his Son, Jesus. The goal was the forgiveness of all of your sins. The goal is that through weakness and pain, Jesus does away with weakness and pain forever because he rises from the dead, never to suffer or be in pain ever again, never to die again.

So Jesus promises that through your pain and through your weakness, God will reach his goal. His grace is sufficient for you. God’s love for you is enough in your pain and your suffering. God loves you enough to allow pain and suffering to come into your life because it’s going to reach its goal. You’re going to realize that you are weak, that you are beyond your ability to endure, just like Paul said. You’re going to say, “Enough is enough.” Maybe you’ve said that once, twice, three times, or even more than that in your lifetime. “Enough is enough, Lord.” But God says, “My grace is sufficient for you. Enough is my grace for you. Because my power is made perfect in your weakness. I’m going to do something great and glorious through your pain and through your weakness. You’re going to realize you can’t do this by yourself, that you have to rely on me when you are weak. Then you are strong because my power rests on you.”

And so we can say, “Yes, I’m beyond my ability to endure.” Just like that gunnery sergeant. Just like that colonel’s daughter. Just like the apostle Paul. We can say, “I’ve had enough, but God is my strength, he is my power, and so then I am strong when I’m weak, because God is strong enough for me.” I may not often understand why I suffer, or why others suffer, but God gives me the answer in his Word: “My power, my grace, is sufficient for you.”

So when we ask the question, Where does God—a loving, just, and holy God—fit into the picture of suffering? Sometimes we don’t always have the specific answers to those questions, but God comes back and says, “You know what? Not yet. The pain and the suffering will go away someday when I bring you home to heaven. But for now, my grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in your weakness.”

And so with the apostle Paul, we can say, “Well, I delight in my weaknesses. I’m glad in my hardships and persecutions and difficulties. For when I’m weak, then I am strong, for God promises to be my power and my strength.” He promises to be your power and your strength to get you through the suffering. He will be with you in the suffering to bring you through to its end, which is a resurrection from the dead and life eternal in heaven—where he will wipe away the tears forever, where we will be happy and glad and rejoice all the days of our life for eternity. Enough is enough. Enough is God’s grace for you.

Prayer:
O God of power and might, you know that we live in the midst of many great dangers, and in our frailty we cannot stand upright. Give us strength and protection to support us in all peril and carry us through all temptations.

Lord, this week we celebrate with the Coast Guard Reserve, which celebrates its birthday on February 19th. Since 1941, the Coast Guard Reserve has provided a trained force of officers who are ready to serve during emergencies. And so, Lord, we ask that you keep reservists proficient and ready in their skills so that they may faithfully provide homeland security, serve as national defense, and save lives during domestic disaster operations. We recommend them to your care, O Lord. Amen.