2 CORINTHIANS 12:7-10 –”So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But 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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
THEME OF THE DAY: SOME BURDENS HE WILL NOT REMOVE. As we read our Bibles, we discover instructions to cast our burdens or anxieties on the Lord. The most familiar might be in the Apostle Peter’s first letter – “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7). Another example comes from the Old Testament in the book of Psalms – “Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22). Each of us knows the burden-lifting experience of laying life’s burdens on the strong shoulders of the Lord.
Yet, there is something else about burdens we must acknowledge, learn, and embrace. It is found in today’s scripture and the experience of the Apostle Paul. The account is familiar. Paul was taken to heaven, returned, and to prevent him from boasting of his experience, God assigned him a thorn in the flesh to suppress pride. We don’t know what it was, but it hurt. It was painful, and the apostle wanted to be freed from it. I wonder if there were not late-night conversations with the Lord that went like this, “Lord, please remove this thorn in my flesh. It hinders me. I could serve You much better without it.” We know how the story goes. The burden was not lifted from the life of the Apostle Paul and hence come the lessons for us.
There are burdens in life the Lord will not remove from us, even after much pleading in prayer. Why? We need them. They are good for us. I didn’t say “feel good for us” but are good for us. Like the Apostle Paul, we will learn at least two things from the burdens the Lord will not remove from us.
First, when God doesn’t answer prayer according to our desires and wants, we submit to His answer and that settles it. This is not an easy battle especially when the answer God gives us is to continue in a season of suffering. But don’t grumble. Submit. God is doing a good work in us by not answering our prayers according to our desires.
The second lesson learned when God won’t remove a burden from us; His grace is sufficient. And it will be so sufficient that we rejoice with the burden still on us. Why? We experience more and more of Christ, His love, His power, and we actually are transformed in our hearts to where we embrace and rejoice in the burden not removed.
Yes, there are burdens God will not remove in our lives. Trust Him as the burdens remain. God is good, wise, and loving. He knows what is best for us, and best might just mean not taking some burdens from our lives.
PRAYER: “Father, help me to rest in the sufficiency of Your grace when You leave some burdens in my life.”
QUOTE: “Some burdens in life the Lord will not remove. He knows we need them to keep us close to Him.”