SUFFICIENT GRACE

2 Corinthians 12:9  But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Grace is so powerful and yet so misunderstood in the life of the disciple.  We still have a tendency to try to have grace as a fruit of our Christian character.  We use phrases like, "she is so gracious." The dancer is "so graceful." Grace is something that is always released from heaven to us and faith is something released from earth to God.  Grace from God even empowers us to have faith.  (Eph. 2:8-9) The Apostle Paul referenced in the verse above had done all in his strength to bring a remedy to his problem.  He had used all the faith he could muster, all the positive thinking and positive confession he could bring forth and yet the answer he thought he wanted didn't come.  Then Jesus spoke from the frightful and confusing circumstances and said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."  I am a person of faith as I am sure you are but there was a time when I walked among believers that had made "my faith" the main thing.  I have even known of some who after prayer would tell the sick person that the reason you weren't healed was because "your faith" wasn't strong enough.  For those of that persuasion this passage of Scripture is troubling.  Was Paul lacking in faith? Was the last chapter of Hebrews 11, the faith chapter,  filled with those who didn't have enough faith?  I think not.  I have heard those who hold personal daily faith almost at the level of salvation stumble with these verses and rush on to the next faith verses.  They didn't want to appear weak in faith nor did they want to tolerate those who appeared weak in faith.   Now here is the wonderful news about grace.   Grace is a free gift from heaven released upon those who are at the end of themselves, even in their daily faith, and when it arrives it is sufficient, it is enough!  Often it would seem that the enormity of the crisis releases grace in the measure of the need and even greater!  When the disciples were in the boat with Jesus in the storm, the Bible says in Matthew 8:23-27 that there arose a GREAT storm.  When Jesus quieted the sea there was a GREAT calm.  When we are confronted with a great storm we don't need simply grace, we need GREAT grace.  That is what God promises those who approach him in sincere humility.  The disciples cried out to Jesus, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing!" Often the emphasis here is the lack of faith of the disciples.  That is nothing unusual.  The emphasis should be placed on the great clam, the great grace of God that always follows a great storm. Whatever your storm today, acknowledge it to Jesus and cry out to Him!  Great grace is soon to follow.

James 4:8  "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. "