2Corinthians 12:7-9(NLT)
“ 7 even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. 8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.”

In 2Corinthians 12:7-9, the Apostle Paul made a very interesting statement. He said that he was glad to boast about his weaknesses, so that the power of Christ could work through him. This points to all of us who believe our successes and triumphs in life are all about our own efforts. It also points to those of us who think that we can make ourselves perfect or righteous. We can do neither of those things. Whenever we depend on ourselves or others to do what only God can, we’re due for a refresher course in God’s grace. We must understand that His power works best in our weakness, and that we achieve and succeed according to His Will and only by His power.

God is our Provider
Philippians 4:19(ESV) says, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” This is God’s promise! He is our Provider and He takes care of us, His children. God’s provision isn’t dependent on our behavior or good deeds, and this is one of the reasons we can be glad to boast about our weaknesses, because we don’t always get it right, and He blesses us any way. God sent our Lord and Savior to the earth to save us, to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. Ephesians 2:8(NLT) says, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.” Salvation through Jesus Christ is a free gift. Because of God’s amazing grace, He’s saved us, and there’s nothing we can do about it. We can’t boast about something we didn’t or couldn’t do ourselves. It was God’s good pleasure to save us, and He delights in providing for us. We should demonstrate our gratitude for all He’s done every day of our lives.

None of us are perfect. Romans 3:23(NLT) tells us, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” All of us have sinned and done things wrong. Of course, our Heavenly Father doesn’t want us to do this. He wants us to live by the example of Jesus Christ and to do, speak, feel, and behave the way that Jesus did when he carried forth his ministry on earth. Sometimes we get it right, but a lot of the times, we get it wrong. God’s remedy for our getting it wrong is repentance. He wants us to repent from our wrong actions. These means, He wants us to change our minds and hearts about doing wrong, so that we make different and better choices according to the example of Christ.

God wants us to come to Him with this heart of repentance and humility and seek His forgiveness. 1John 1:9(ESV) says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Ephesians 1:7(NLT) also says, “He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.” So, the Good News is that God forgives us when we get it wrong, and He expects us to renew our minds, which means to change our thoughts, so that we line up with who God has created us to be.

Romans 3:25-26(NLT) says, “For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.” Because of what God has accomplished for us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we have right standing with Him. We don’t have to beg for what He has already provided; we simply have to trust in what He’s provided.

Life can be tough sometimes. It has triumphant highs and devastating lows. In the face of all this, we’re often emotional when we come to God in prayer, but begging doesn’t move Him, our faith does. All of us have our own struggles, but God tells us in Philippians 4:6(NLT), “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” So, when it comes to drawing near to God and pleasing Him, begging is not the answer. He loves us and wants us to have confidence that He is greater than any problem we will ever face, and He’s willing and able to help us. We simply need to open our mouths and tell Him what we need, and do so with hearts that are filled with gratitude and faith in Him and His love for us all.■

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“Begging Is Not the Answer”, written for DomesticAbuseAwareness.Org ©2025. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!