Day 68

 

Prayer and Change

 

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from 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 about my weakness, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

 

2 Corinthians 12:9

 

 

Ethan bought his first guitar with his own money. He was a freshman in High School and played the trumpet and piano and he wanted to try the guitar.

He had never had a lesson but it became apparent over a short period of time that he was going to be good at it. We had to encourage him to practice the piano or trumpet but we never had to encourage him to play the guitar. We did have to tell him to stop playing sometimes because it was time to go to bed. So, he quickly outgrew his beginner guitar.

He talked to some older, experienced guitar players who told him he needed to buy a Taylor guitar. He found one on e-bay, a pretty nice one that brand new would have cost about $2,000.00, but being used was about half that. He made a lot more money mowing lawns than the $2.50 per lawn that I had made when I was his age but it was still a lot of money for him to come up with. So I told him I would go halves with him. If he wanted a guitar so badly he would have to mow a lot of grass for some folks, save his money and not spend it on other things, and then I would help. And that is what happened.

I think prayer works that way some times. We pray and pray and ask God for things and he is waiting for us to do our part. He wants to do things for us but it might require some change on our part. We may be asking for some help in a relationship or with our kids and God is ready to work on the other person for us but is waiting for us to make the changes we need to make.

Paul had a "thorn in the flesh" that he wanted to be done with. We don't know what it was for certain but that detail is not really important. What is important is that God wanted to do something for Paul that wasn't exactly what Paul wanted. Paul had to come to understand what was required for him to receive what God had planned to give was for him to change his request and accept the limitation of having the thorn. When Paul made his adjustment he was then able to receive the grace and power God had planned to give.

 

Upon Further Review:

 

Read 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

• Who was the author of Paul's thorn in the flesh?
• What was God using the thorn in the flesh for in Paul's life?
• How did Paul become comfortable with having this weakness?