II Corinthians 12:9: “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
It is believed that the Apostle Paul wrote four letters to the church of Corinth and this is his fourth letter. The church of Corinth had leveled some criticism of Paul, questioning whether he should assume the role of Apostle. They questioned how he could be a real man of God and go through such struggles. Surely with God’s blessings would not have the struggles like Paul. This letter was thought to express some of Paul’s struggle with pain both physical and emotional. Paul is a sort of Christian every man that most of can relate to. He has a real heart for God and sharing the love of God that he experienced with others. Most did not understand this and he faced difficulty and criticism for bearing the sufferings that he went through to bring them this message . All he wanted to do was just glorify God.
Yesterday in my study on Job I shared how God must have given the enemy permission to afflict Paul. In verse seven Paul even calls his affliction or thorn in the flesh a messenger of hasatan, the enemy. We are not sure what his thorn in the flesh was, some think it was a physical aliment that he pleaded with God to heal but God would not heal it. Some think it was the criticism he was receiving. Some think it was his past catching up with him. You see Paul was a mass murderer before he met Jesus. Now he was going to the very Christians that he persecuted. There had to be some very unforgiving people out there who would be mumbling; “Oh it’s that Saul/Paul guy who murdered my father/brother/etc.” Maybe it was just Paul struggling with the guilt as he met Christians who had loved ones that suffered and died because of him and he saw the sorrow and pain he caused. We cannot be sure what it was that the enemy was using to bring him down and maybe it is best we not know, that way we can relate to Paul if God allows a messenger of hasatan to attack us. For whatever reason Paul is setting an example by telling us that God told him (you hear that, God told him) “My grace is sufficient for you.”
I cannot say God told me directly like Paul, but I believe the Bible is inspired by God and if God told this to Paul then God is telling me in His Word, “My grace us sufficient for you.”
So what is this grace business? In the Greek the word is charis which means favor and kindness and answers directly to the Hebrew word chanan which means to extend as God extending His favor and kindness to us. However, it is interesting that the Aramaic word used in this verse is not chanana but tavototh which is also in an imperfect tense. This is something past, present and future. His continuing grace is sufficient. This is not a onetime deal, but something extended by God day by day. As long as we are getting a daily dose of tavototh like Paul we can handle whatever the enemy sends our way because that tovatoth is sufficient.
Tavototh means favor and kindness like chanan but oh so much more. You see the root word is tov which means to be in harmony with something. Stop and think about it. Paul is saying: “I have been beaten, tortured, stoned, starved, and destitute but I am in harmony with my Jesus and that is enough, it is satisfying for me.
What is your pain or sorrow? Is it any worse than Paul’s, than Job’s. I downloaded the song “His Grace is Sufficient for Me” by the Statesmen Quartet. When I play it for my pet dove, Jonah, he always begins to coo or sing as the words: “His grace is sufficient for me and His love is abundant and free.” I thought it was cute at first but then I realized Jonah was doing a little yiradue on me. I am just so amazed at the feelings of contentment I sense from my little friend and then I realized it is because he is in harmony with my Jesus and he is reminding me that no matter what the circumstances, how bad things may get; to be in harmony with Jesus is true contentment. To be in harmony with Jesus is sufficient for me.
His grace, his harmonization with you is sufficient and in him there is strength to face whatever He will allow the enemy to throw at you for he will never allow the enemy to throw more at you than what you can bear. That one comes from Paul’s first letter to the Church of Corinth 10:13.
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