"No; my grace is sufficient."

Let’s look at another “no” answer that God may give us when we cry out to him – one of the most famous of them all: “NO; MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT.”

The apostle Paul stated in his second letter to the Corinthians, “Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong” (II Corinthians 12:7-10).

Paul lays it all out for us here: the pain hurt – and Paul pleaded for healing. But God said “no” because Paul needed the pain to keep from becoming proud. Paul needed the pain for God’s power to be shown as perfect in every way. Paul needed the pain to truly understand God’s daily, all-sufficient grace.

And so it sometimes is for us. God may not take the pain away. He may not give healing on this side of heaven. But, as he said to Paul, we can be assured that if he chooses to give us a “no,” then we will experience his grace and his power made perfect in us if we turn to him in trust and obedience.