The Power of Christ may Rest

" 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."

2 Corinthians 12:9

I've had a rough week.  For those of you who suffer from chronic illness or chronic pain, you know what I'm talking about.  A debilitating pain leaves you wondering how you are going to manage your responsibilities; it leaves you guessing whether or not you will be able to keep a scheduled appointment or have the strength to make it through the day.  Just when the pain begins to ease up and you think the battle is over, a flare-up occurs, and like the Apostle Paul, you find yourself begging God to remove this affliction from you.

But sometimes removing the affliction is not what is best for us.

I must have read the above verse a thousand times and yet God showed me something new.

The words that jumped off the page are, 'that the power of Christ may rest upon me.'

I saw these words in a new light.

Paul accepted his affliction because he knew that it was in his affliction when the power of Christ rested on him.

Think about that for a minute.

God could have healed Paul, like He healed so many before him, and yet God chose not to heal him.

Why?

Because having the power of God resting on Him was far better than healing.

My friend-that transformed my thinking this entire week.

In pain, God allowed me to manage my responsibilites.

In pain, God allowed me to keep my scheduled appointments.

In pain, God gave me the strength to make it through the day.

How?  His promised power rested on me.

Every time I felt my pain, I praised God for His power resting on me.

And like the Apostle Paul, I realize that because God's power rests on me, everything is going to be OK.

God's power...

    in my weakness...

        makes me strong...

            But that's just me!