WHEN GOD SAYS NO

“But [the Lord] 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.”  (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV)

There are times when the one thing you want is the one thing you never get…

All you want is an open door or an extra day or an answered prayer, for which you will be thankful. And so you pray and wait. No answer. You pray and wait. No answer. You pray and wait.

May I ask a very important question? What if God says no?

What if the request is delayed or even denied? When God says no to you, how will you respond? If God says, “I’ve given you My grace, and that is enough,” will you be content?

Content. That’s the word. A state of heart in which you would be at peace if God gave you nothing more than He already has. Test yourself with this question: What if God’s only gift to you were His grace to save you? Would you be content?

What if His answer is, “My grace is sufficient,” would you be content?

You see, from heaven’s perspective, grace is enough. 

-- Max Lucado in “In the Grip of Grace”

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ALL-SUFFICIENT GRACE

And the Lord said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”  (2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV)

There is power in the grace of God. The verb translated “is sufficient” is in the present tense – as is God’s grace, which is always present. In every situation, we can rely on Him to provide strength and courage. He will never give us all that we want, but He will give us all that we need.

Compare our Lord to the gods of all the world’s religions and you’ll find that grace is the difference maker. It is the X factor that radically sets Him apart. Our God is “the God of all grace” (1 Peter 5:10). He is kind, benevolent, and long-suffering. We need not beg Him, bribe Him, or appease Him. He actually longs to bless us every single moment, every single day. He comes down to us rather than demanding that we climb the impossible ladder to infinity to reach Him. Grace is God taking the initiative.

In this same letter, Paul explained, “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8 NKJV).

Notice the repetition of the word “all.” All grace abounds toward us so that we are all sufficient in all things. He is all we need in all we face, so that for all we do, we can overflow with His grace and power. 

-- David Jeremiah in “Keep the Faith: How to Stand Strong in a World Turned Upside Down” 

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