Chapter V, Continued
But now comes in the glorious other side of the matter. The prayer was never granted. But how fruitful was that prayer! It was denied, yet answered. The Master’s “no” was not mere peremptory negative, decisive and perfectly authoritative as it was. It took the form of a positive assurance inestimably better; the form not only of a promise, let us observe, but of a present certainty of divine life and love. “My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” The weakness, of whatever special kind, so profoundly, so intensely felt by St Paul, so destructive in itself of his comfort, so obstructive in his work, was to be no unfavourable condition from his Master’s point of view. It was rather the true condition under which the Master’s indwelling strength was to work out its proper issues, so that “the patient” gave himself up to the process. And so, what was “sufficient” for St Paul’s peace, and strength, and growth, was – not the removal of the humiliating thorn and the grace of Christ, but simply, merely, the grace of Christ, that is to say Christ, by His Spirit, divinely present and divinely working in St Paul. Yes, this was enough for the whole demands of the case. It was sufficient up to the level of the need. It was adequate to take the whole circumstances, and fill them all with peace, with power, with love, with God.
“My grace is sufficient for thee.” I have heard of a life in which that sentence was a great spiritual turning point. In the midst of an agonizing prayer, “Let Thy grace be sufficient for me,” the eye of the overwhelmed Christian were casually raised towards a text upon the wall, where this sentence appeared. The word “is” stood out conspicuous in colour. And with the sight of it came, through the Spirit, the simple but divine intuition that what was implored was possessed already. Reader, have you read that “is”? Does your experience this hour include faith that rests as well as seeks? If so, is it not a sacred, a blessed reality? If not so, why not? Here is the warrant, phrased in the present tense, and the words are your Master’s, your Possessor’s, words. Believe them now – that is to say, practically, act upon them now.
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