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Help!

              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 weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (II Corinthians 12:8-10) 

            No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (I Corinthians 10:13)

 

            “God will never give you more than you can handle.” That might not be the exact quote, but it’s close. Even if it’s not quite right, it doesn’t matter because it’s pure nonsense. It’s based on the second passage quoted above, which talks only about temptations. Even then, it’s not that God won’t allow temptations that are beyond our capacity to endure. But He will provide a way out so that we can endure it. The two are not the same. We were never meant to handle things on our own.

            With that as our foundation, today’s primary passage has to do with Paul having done/experienced something so spectacular that he might be tempted to think he was something special. God had worked miracles through Paul, but no matter how much Paul prayed, God declined to take away the thorn. In fact, God told him to stop asking. That means one of the reasons God allows or causes bad things to happen to good people is to protect them from themselves.

            How hard is it for you to ask someone for help? What kinds of help can you ask for, and what kinds can’t you? I have spent the last four year trying to become more competent…self-sufficient…in control. And God has blessed quite a bit of what I’ve done. But His blessing has required that I ask for help. Sometimes, it’s easy. Sometimes, it’s a thorn in my flesh. Why must I be so weak that I can’t do it by myself?

            One reason is that – if I could do it all for myself, I’d get a swelled head. “No, Daddy. I do it myself!” Another reason can be found if I turn the situation around. How do I feel when repairmen come to do work on my house? I have worked very hard on walking away and letting them do their job unhindered by my “help.”

            I know God doesn’t need to be needed the way we tend to. He doesn’t need to help. But I suspect He experiences joy in doing it, probably more than I do. And how selfish of me to deny others the opportunity to have some of that kind of joy just so I can be seen as competent.

            I’m not sure this is what Paul meant by “when I am weak, then I am strong.” But consider how much strength of will it requires to not step in and do something for someone, especially when they’re doing it “wrong.” Consider how much strength it takes to admit to someone whose respect you want that you need help. Turning to God for help may not show the weakness some suggest. It can be one of the hardest things to do.

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