https://www.odbm.org/en/devotionals/devotional-category/praying-for-answers?ts=1793664000000
2 Corinthians 12: 6-9: Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, 7 or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
When Monica’s son Augustine wanted to leave home for a city known for its immorality, she pleaded with God not to let him go. But he went anyway, which greatly grieved his mother, yet it was there that God transformed his life. In his Confessions, Augustine later prayed, “Yet in your deep counsel you heard the central point of her longing . . . [so] that you would make me what she continually prayed for.” Augustine not only became a believer in Jesus, but he also became one of the most influential Christian thinkers in history.
Sometimes God doesn’t give us what we ask for—giving us instead something of greater worth. Like Monica, the apostle Paul asked God for something he didn’t receive. We don’t know what Paul’s “thorn” in his flesh was, but we know it tormented him, and “three times” he “pleaded with the Lord to take it” from him (2 Corinthians 12:7-8). Yet God responded, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (v. 9). (James Banks, Our Daily Bread, 3rd November 2026)
I think one of the more powerful principles we need to learn and learn well to have a contented and Christ-centred Christian life is 2 Corinthians 12:9 – “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness”. We cling on to God that in going through our struggles, afflictions and troubles, we find enough of His grace for us to prevail. More often than not, God’s answers to our prayers are not exactly what we had wished for. In hindsight, we know it is better but when we were going through it, it was tough and even heartbreaking.
A good illustration will be a couple with 5 to 6 children. So much work and struggles to cope with raising them all up but when they are into their teens and adulthood, we see the joy of having so many and the grandkids that will come! Often Christian living is like that. A lot of toiling and hardwork, tears and frustrations – at the end of a long dark tunnel, we see the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. God however is and has always been there by our side. His grace is and was indeed sufficient for us as He makes us strong in Him in our weakness. Like the footsteps in the sand, Christ often carries us as we trudge along the pathways of life – with its various peaks but more valleys.
Uncertainties and negative possibilities are all very real. Yet faith is also equally real as Jesus is alive and well! Hold on tight to Proverbs 16:3 – “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans”. Step out in faith, trust Him and let Him do His will in our lives! As we respond to His calling, we will sooner or later fulfill His plans and purposes for our lives! Don’t give up but strive on heavenward towards the goal Christ has set for us that we will one day receive our crown of glory!
