Paul prayed three times for the thorn to be removed.
He wasn’t asking for luxury. He was asking for relief — the kind of prayer you’ve probably prayed over a diagnosis, a debt, a child, a habit you can’t shake. Take it away, Lord. And heaven’s answer wasn’t silence, and it wasn’t removal. It was this:
“My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”— 2 Corinthians 12:9 (KJV)
Read that again slowly. God didn’t promise to close the gap. He promised to fill it.
Most of us are waiting on removal before we move. When this is over, I’ll start. When this lifts, I’ll obey. But sufficiency is not a consolation prize for people whose prayers didn’t work — it’s the actual arrangement. Your shortage is not disqualifying. It’s the address where His strength reports for duty. The weakness you keep apologizing for is the very place the strength shows up.
Paul’s response is the part we skip. He didn’t just accept the answer; he leaned into it — “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” The thorn stayed. The man moved anyway. And the moving is what we’re still reading about two thousand years later.
So here’s the shift for this week: stop asking only for a way out, and start watching for strength in. Move with the gap still open. Obey with the question still unanswered. You’ll find the grace was never waiting at the finish line — it meets you on the road.
Where do you need sufficiency today?
— Eric
If you’re in a season that needs structure, my free 7-Day Faith Reset walks seven mornings in the Word — start whenever you’re ready: get.ericgilljr.com
This week from Midnight Sermon: the “Playing It Safe” series continues — Part 6 lands Monday. The full talk is here: youtube.com/watch?v=JGZncM4cND8
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