Be Vigilant

“And He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may overshadow me.” (2Corinthians 12:9)

Paul had an affliction of some kind. It’s unknown if it’s physical which seems to be the majority of the consensus, but it may not have been. He prayed about it and asked the Lord three times for it to be removed. In our verse Paul tells us the answer to His prayer. It may be a little disheartening to realize that our lives here on earth are not going to be without affliction. Jesus said, “I have spoken these things to you so that you might have peace in Me. In the world you shall have tribulation but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) The Lord did not remove the affliction from Paul. And He may not remove an affliction from us. But one thing we can be sure of is that if in an affliction with which we have to live with, the Lord is glorified and His will and purposes are fulfilled. “But the God of all grace, He calling us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little, He will perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” (1Peter 5:10) God can remove the affliction, but He uses it to form us into His image as we witness God’s help and grace.

I will give you an example of something that I witnessed which shows us that affliction can keep us humble before God. When I lived in Mexico. There was this man who did odd jobs for us. His labor was managed by another man who acquired the jobs and gave the jobs over to this man to do. This laborer worked hard in the hot sun, all day long for about $10 USD. He had a wife and several kiddos. He was poor, but at least he was able to work to put food on the table for his family. My husband and I got to know him well since he did several jobs for us. Eventually, we bypassed the manager and asked him directly to do different jobs which brought him more income. But instead of bettering his family’s situation, he started womanizing and drinking with the extra income (which really wasn’t that much more.)  I learned something. Sometimes, our terrible circumstances keep us in line and prevent us from sinning. This laborer had the $10 daily with which he fed his family. But he used the extra to sin.

One thing we know for sure is that affliction is not from God. But God uses it for our good. The Lord has promised to help us in our affliction. “ Do not fear; for I am with you; be not dismayed; for I am your God. I will make you strong; yes, I will help you; yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness.” (Isaiah 41:10) It is foolish to think that God sends us afflictions then helps us through it. That just doesn’t make sense. God is good and only has good to give. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness nor shadow of turning.” (James 1:17) He didn’t spare Jesus from suffering our death so He could then torture us with affliction. “Truly He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32)

In Paul’s case, the affliction glorified God because the Lord gave him the strength to carry on his mission, even as the affliction wore him down. This is why Paul states that he glories in his weaknesses because he was able to accomplish much in the strength of the Lord and as he called it the power of Christ which overshadowed him. If we rely on the Lord, no matter the affliction, in the strength of the Lord, we can do what is required of us and impossible in the natural.

I will give you another example. When my husband was sick, he was very uncomfortable. It wasn’t pain from the cancer because miraculously, he didn’t have pain from the cancer. But it was all the effects of the immunotherapy, the medication, the weakness in his body and body failures he was experiencing. It was a constant emergency. He could not do anything for himself and depended on me for everything. When I say constant, that’s what it was. There was no rest, not even at night because he couldn’t even move his legs to get off the bed when he needed to get up at night. I was surviving on little sleep and no rest. When I look back, I don’t know how I survived except that the Lord kept me in a supernatural cocoon of strength and love. No matter how difficult and pressing each minute was, I didn’t want my husband to even know how difficult it was for me because, he was helpless and I was the only one who could help him. In this affliction I saw God’s supernatural strength carry me for five months. And the love and patience I had came from the Lord because in my flesh, I could have easily gone off the deep end with the constant demands. When I say God is Good, that word Good can’t even come close to how good He is and how good He was to me at that time. I witnessed His supernatural help and his supernatural strength in this affliction.

It's true we don’t like affliction no matter in what form it comes, but as long as we’re in this world, there will be affliction. Like Paul, we can pray for the Lord to remove it. But if He doesn’t, we can be sure it will be for our good. “My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into different kinds of temptations, knowing that the trying of your faith works patience. But let patience have its perfect work, so that you may be perfect and entire, lacking nothing.” (James 1:2-4) The word temptations in the original Greek was a word that means adversity. When Peter wrote about suffering a little bit in 1 Peter 5:10 in the previous Scripture, he speaks about afflictions in this world. The word that was translated afflictions in that verse means hardships and pain. “Be sensible and vigilant, because your adversary the Devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking someone he may devour; whom firmly resist in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions in the world are being completed in your brotherhood.” (1Peter 5:8-9) This verse tells us clearly that these afflictions, pain and hardships come from the devil. And he roams seeking to devour us. But with the Lord, we don’t have to allow the affliction, the hardship or the painful experiences take us down. We can give ourselves completely to the Lord. He is faithful to strengthen us and to give us a supernatural victory.

Concluding, we see that we will suffer affliction in this world. God doesn’t give us the afflictions, but He uses them for our good and for His glory. We have His promises to help us in our troubles. We can rely on His supernatural help.

Let us pray:

Father God, Your wisdom continues to amaze me. This world which belongs to the enemy brings hardship after hardship, but You use them Lord for my good and for Your glory. I thank You Lord, that I am not alone in the afflictions of this world. I thank You that even when it seems impossible, You wrap me in Your strength and supernatural enabling to help me through them. I can say with David, “...even though I walk through the valley of shadow of death, I will fear no evil...” I thank You my Lord that You have never abandoned me in my need and that You will not forsake me in my desperation. Father, I yield to Your work in me through these afflictions. Be glorified in me, through me and for me. I know that these hardships are temporary. Help me to trust You and like Paul to continue in Your way knowing that if it is better for me, You will remove them from me. Your way is holy. Your way is wisdom. Give me the understanding I need when the fear and anguish of affliction come to me. Help me to rely on You, my only help. Thank You Lord for Your eternal love which is good to me always. I love You Lord. In the Name of Jesus I pray, amen.