The Apostle Paul had a sickness, a thorn in his flesh, in which he prayed unto the Lord multiple times for God to remove it (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). After the 3rd time, God answered Paul regarding his sickness and it wasn’t what Paul expected. Essentially, God offered Paul a choice, either I give you what you want and heal you of this sickness, but afterward, you will exalt yourself beyond the measure of my will, or I will bestow my grace upon you and don’t remove the sickness, then my strength and glory will abide with you. WOW, what a choice! Life presents us with many choices, and although all of our choices may not be as weighted as Paul’s choice was, choosing between what you want and what you need is not always an easy decision. As children of God, we must understand that wanting certain things is not a sin, but wanting something outside of God’s timeframe, outside of God’s will, and God’s Word can cause us to become engrossed in pleasing ourselves at the expense of not pleasing God. Sometimes a person can want something bad enough that they become shortsighted and make ill-advised decisions that are detrimental to their health, the well-being of others, and most importantly their relationship with Jesus Christ.
For example, one can want a newer, updated car instead of being content with their current vehicle that is paid for and working fine. While desiring a new car in and of itself is not wrong, introducing a “new car” payment into an already overspent budget may not be the best decision at the time. Timing is everything when it comes to wanting what God wants for you. Most times believers don’t want to wait for God’s blessing or answer and take matters into their own hands. Instead of following Proverbs 3:5-6 and trusting in God, we lean on our own understanding; and instead of acknowledging him in all our ways, we move forward without waiting on God, directing our own path. Lack of faith and patience in God will always lead to unpleasant and unwanted results. You must trust in God’s timing because only He knows when you are ready to handle whatever it is that he has for you; and that you won’t let your wants interfere with or supersede your relationship with him.
Jesus Christ as a loving parent, knows us better than we know ourselves. He sees potential danger in our path, and he does what any loving parent would do to steer his children clear from anything that may hurt us, even if it means not giving us what we want. Prioritizing your needs is the first step in making wise decisions, and your need for God’s presence in your life must be at the top of the list. Furthermore, every decision you make must enhance, protect and not have a negative impact on your number one need: God’s presence in your life. His presence (grace) will provide you with so much more than any one item that you could ever want. What Paul wanted for himself did not match what God wanted for Paul. However, after hearing God’s “offer,” Paul gladly submitted to what God wanted for him, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9). God answered Paul’s prayer by not removing the sickness as Paul requested, but by giving him what he needed (God’s grace) to endure the sickness. As Jesus told Paul, “my grace is sufficient,” meaning that having God’s grace in your life is far more important than any of your wants and needs. The one thing that we need and want in our lives is someone who loves us and wants what is best for us. No one will ever care for you and love you more than Jesus Christ!
Amen. Praise the Lord for this message! I want the Lord to order my steps so that whatever I do is pleasing in his sight.
Very well written, it’s important to have faith that God knows what’s best for us.
Amen! 👏🏾Praise the Lord. I thank the Lord for this message. Keep me in your pathway Lord.🙏🏾
Amen! But sometimes I feel that because I am not a faithful servant of the Lord, He does not love me as much as He loved disciples like Paul or other faithful Christians I know.
Excellent observation Yasmine! While God shows no respect of persons or partiality towards anyone (Romans 2:11), no one is perfect in how they love; only God is perfect. Like any relationship that we are in, our love for God is just as important as His love towards us (John 14:15, John 15:10). So, as you continue to surrender yourself to His Word and your relationship with God matures, you will experience a greater manifestation of God’s love in your life.