Devotionals
GLORYING IN AFFLICTIONS
By Henry Jaegers
And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing, I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (II Corinthians 12: 7,8)
By Henry Jaegers
And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing, I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (II Corinthians 12: 7,8)
Have you ever complained and wondered why things were not going as you expected?
For over 35 years I have been talking to God about this and I did so without understanding. God's ways, God's timing, and God's provision are always perfect and because of this, it is safe to trust in Him.
In this matter of infirmity to which Paul speaks, the message is finally beginning to sink into my heart concerning the ways that God works. The one regret I have at 80 years of age, is that I have not learned the lessons in the past years that I have had learned today. By all human standards, I must be physically disqualified from any meaningful ministry because of my infirmities.
In 1990 I was very sick and the doctors told me that I would never be able to go back to work but despite all that the doctors have said I managed to retire from two jobs afterward. Isn't God great? Today I look back and realize that my lack of typing skills would never qualify me to be a writer. And now I struggle with my eyesight in not being able to read properly, taking a long time to finish a book that I wish to read. But this past week I rejoiced in my infirmity and because of my infirmity, although the opportunity to preach is gone, God has seen fit to give me a writing ministry. How can that be with all the negative things against me?
To compensate for my lack of typing skills my wife purchased a program that enables me to speak and allow the program to type for me. The same program also allows me to read everything I post and it plays it back so I can hear. That helps my typing infirmity and improves my proofreading skill. Because I can only read with one eye properly, it takes me a long time to read but the benefit of that is because I read slowly I am understanding greater than I would if I read fast. Slow reading has improved my comprehension.
Finally, each night as I work out on the treadmill for an hour and exercise I listen to 18 chapters of the Bible each night while I'm working out. I have been able to read the Bible through almost 4 times this year and I am understanding the Scriptures more clearly by hearing them read in their context. So why should this message from Paul be such a blessing? Because of my infirmities, God is speaking to me and allowing me to be a greater blessing that if I did not have them. And I say with Paul I will glory in my infirmities that the power and glory of God may rest upon me.
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
Reader Count & Comments
Date
The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com. This is especially true with articles that
deal with personal healthcare and prophecy. We encourage the reader to make their own decision in consultation with God, His Word, and others as needed.
This article has been read 410 times < Previous | Next >
Read more articles by Henry Jaegers or search for other articles by topic below.
This article has been read 410 times < Previous | Next >
Search for articles on: (e.g. creation; holiness etc.)
Read more by clicking on a link:Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.