God's Pursuit of Me

Sufficient

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.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.     (2 Cor. 12:9-10)

My friend recently e-mailed this verse to me.

And when I read her e-mail, I was encouraged.

But today, I feel more like a character in the Dr. Seuss book “Oh, The Places You’ll Go”

because

what do you do

when

it seems

His grace

is not sufficient?

Come, on –

Am I the only one

who

sometimes

feels

His grace

is

not enough?

(Maybe that’s blasphemy – you tell me.)

But right now

right here

it’s also

the

truth.

(Maybe that is the problem.  Exactly.)

It

is

the

truth

to me

right now

but only

the

truth

in

my feelings.

And

feelings

are usually

not truth.

But they are so

strong.

And if you have

advice

on how to

fight

those feelings

please

don’t keep it to yourself.

12 Comments

  • cindyheaden

    A story that I recently read…..

    Sometimes we wonder, "What did I do to deserve this?" or "Why did God
    have to do this to me?" Here is a wonderful explanation! A daughter is
    telling her Mother how everything is going wrong, she's failing algebra,
    her boyfriend broke up with her and her best friend is moving away.

    Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she
    would like a snack, and the daughter says, "Absolutely Mom, I love your
    cake."

    "Here, have some cooking oil," her Mother offers.
    "Yuck" says her daughter.
    "How about a couple raw eggs?" "Gross, Mom!"
    "Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?"
    "Mom, those are all yucky!"

    To which the mother replies: "Yes, all those things seem bad all by
    themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a
    wonderfully delicious cake! "

    God works the same way. Many times we wonder why He would let us go
    through such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He puts
    these things all in His order, they always work for good! We just have
    to trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful!

  • Shelley in SC

    The answer is that you replace your feelings with His truth! And you choose to believe it, whether you feel it or not. And you cling on to it, and you quote it back to Him, and you lay on your bed and sob it, and you thank Him for it and you don't let go until He comes through in whatever way He chooses to. And He will because He keeps His word.

  • nikkie

    you are not alone, my friend. the only way i can combat the 'feelings' that His grace is not sufficient is to drown the feelings in the Word. again. and again. and again.

    and just do the next thing. ugh, that's easier said than done, isn't it?

    praying.

  • Stacy Finnigan

    My reaction to this is not really helpful, but here it is.
    I think, a lot: "well, I must somewhere, somehow, deeply down inside actually believe this. Or long to believe it. Else I would have given up. Or not be longing for it anymore."

    I think we need only to be seriously concerned when the ache for the better is gone.
    Then we've lost sight.
    Then we've lost hope.
    Then we've lost everything our God is.
    (and it can be then where He shows up biggest.)

    • Lacey

      I like your sentence "…we need only be seriously concerned when the ache for the better is gone".
      I do have the ache – but maybe only because I don't like the present so I have to hope for the future?

  • srs

    I feel exactly the same way but have no answers on how to replace feelings with facts…prayer? Yea I know but God and I are in a tug of war..i give it to him and pull it back…I will be reading all day on how to replace these feelings……waiting expectedly.