My Grace is Sufficient for You – A Reflection

The other night was a particularly weighty night in the middle of a particularly stressful week. Every Thursday, I gather with three other guys for accountability and mutual ministering to one another. It’s one of the ways that we see to live out the Scriptural “one anothers.” This week, one of the guys brought some very difficult stuff with him that ended with lots of praying, encouragement, and broken, heavy hearts. From an eternal perspective, it was a very beautiful scene indeed – but in the moment, the four of us were very crushed. I tweeted (though just saying that this was one response seems trivial at best):

Heartbroken for a friend, and thankful that our hope is in the gospel and a sovereign God. Anything else would fail miserably.
15 hours ago

As I lay in bed later that night, praying, I was meditating on the gospel, and this promise of Jesus:

“My grace is sufficient for you.” -2 Corinthians 12:9b

Here are some of those thoughts:

“My”

It is the grace of Jesus alone which is wholly sufficient. As wonderful as they are, sometimes, this grace is not founded in our spouse, friends, pastors, governments, or entertainment. Only the grace of Christ can see us through times of suffering, times of giving in to temptation, AND times of righteous living (=dirty rags). It is his grace, and his grace alone.

“Grace”

Undeserved favor, a gift. The only thing we merit or deserve is wrath and judgment. Yet, despite this, God’s grace and mercy comes to us through his love for us. It is this amazing grace which is alone sufficient for us.

“Is”

A statement of being. “This is how it is” or “this is reality.” What follows is truth, regardless of whether we believe lies in place of it, or we submit to it. It marks the statement as a whole as corresponding with actual reality.

“Sufficient”

God’s grace is the only thing which carries us through difficulty, but his grace may come to us in different ways: through friends who come alongside us (this is why understanding “my” at the beginning is so important; how quickly we can move the locus of grace from the operator to the vehicle), the empowering of the Spirit, the promises of Scripture, and others. Usually a combination of these and more. Whatever form(s) God’s grace comes to us in, it is “enough.” Found within God’s grace is all the tools necessary for what we need.

“For you”

This all sufficient grace has you and I squarely in its target. Whatever your situation, whatever your thoughts, whatever your expectations – God’s sufficient grace is for you in Christ. We sometimes make an either/or case about God working for “his name’s sake” or “for us” (see: worship wars), but God’s grace is the factor which makes it both/and. God works for his name’s sake and for us-and here the explicit mention is for the latter.

No, these reflections aren’t earth shattering. The truth rarely is.

Note: Yes, these reflections are at the level of application. I’m assuming that the exegetical work behind it is already acknowledged. The “you” here is primarily Paul, who is suffering from a physical ailment which was given to him in order to spur humility.