Sunday evening I was serving at GSM (Granger Student Ministries). DC Curry was teaching the message and said something that hit a chord with me. He was preaching from the book of Habakkuk about listening to God. This was a really good lesson, but he mentioned Paul as a side note and that is what struck me. He said something about Paul was given a thorn in the side, and that's all he said about it. So when I got home I looked it up (biblegateway.com is an awesome tool).
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NIV)
To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But 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. 10That 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.
I think this statement can apply to any situation we find ourselves in. For the past few months I've been wrestling with God about my job. I'm very grateful to be employed and have been able to pay my bills and get a little ahead. My employer has even given me time off during the day to go to school. But I'm not happy there. I don't feel that this is where I should be, I think I should be out saving the world. I've prayed and prayed for God to open doors for me to move on, but I'm still working there. When DC mentioned the thorn in the side that's when I realized that I am right where God wants me to be. This is my thorn. I'm not going to give in to the lies the enemy will use against me. I know deep in my heart that God is preparing something much greater than anything I could ever ask. The past couple of days I've been trying to delight in my job, and my attitude has changed. I'm not wrestling with God any longer, I'm thankful for what he has provided and am looking to the future instead of fighting for it, thorn and all.
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2 comments:
All of us want to save the world - just some other world than the one we reside in. Remember when we tried to sell our house a couple of years ago? We really thought God would bless that effort to become better stewards. After six months of frustration, we began to understand that God was a lot more interested in us meeting our neighbors than cutting expense. Not that we shouldn't still improve there too!
Great thoughts Brian
When I was laid off several months ago I thought that God had great plans for me...that he was going to use me in some awesome ministry somewhere and this was my "golden opportunity" to be used by Him. Nothing came to be. I'm back at the same job with many God inspired changes. I came to realize that my "awesome ministry" was right where I was! ;)
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