Grace sufficient

At different points of the day I like to ask myself the question 'how am I seeing God's grace?' I think that a Christian's worldview should be saturated by a constant awareness of how God is working in his or her life. But then there must also be a perspective that cultivates trust and adoration for the Lord Jehovah even when one does not see evidence of God's grace at that moment. This is where the true test lies in believing that God is real, God is good, and God is present. The reality of it is that sometimes we miss the big picture when looking for evidence of how God is working in our lives. There was an event that took place over a thousand years ago. This event had been looked forward to by generations and is looked back to by generations after it. It is an event whose power starts working in one's life after regeneration. This event is the most profound evidence of God's grace that one can ever hold on to at every moment of life. Christ became the God-man, lived an exemplary life to be followed, took upon our sin as He died on the cross, rose again on third day proving He is God and our hope, and sits at the right hand of the Father. He will come again and judge the world. For those who have trusted in Him there is eternal life: a real promise in a real Heaven in the direct presence ofa real God. Praise the Lord!
On Sunday our pastor talked about how a Christian's life is to be a joyful life because of the inheritance we have. The source of our inheritance is God the Father. Our Heavenly Father qualified us for this inheritance through the fact that we He rescued us (liberated, saved, delivered) from the domain of sin, transferred us (removed and reestablished) into light, and redeemed (released by payment of price) us through His Son Jesus Christ. We are indeed rich as Followers of Christ. We now have the right to be called children of God (John 1:11-12) having direct access to Him as our present share in this inheritance, and look forward to the future share of being in Heaven with Him (1 John 3:2). Because of this we can live each life joyful. God's grace is sufficient.
I was looking back the past few days on the time when I was sick last week. I threw up in my car on the freeway and am still trying to get the stench out of my car. The question I have been asking myself is what the Lord taught me and has been teaching me through that experience. I have also been thinking about how we as Christians should respond to sickness and suffering in our lives and in the lives of others. It is very easy for us to pray a prayer of getting better without thinking about what pleases God and what He is accomplishing through that time. I strongly believe that there is something far superior that we should think and pray about than someone feeling better; redemption and sanctification. Whenever one comes out of a season of sickness or suffering, I think it is a fair question to ask 'If I had a choice, am I willing to relive this experience?' I think the answer to this question says a lot about how conscious you have been to God working in your life compared to focusing on just the pain. Could I exchange just feeling better for the invaluable sanctification that came with it?
A lot of things are going on in my life right now, in fact a lot of things were going on during that week that are ministry related. One of the ways sickness and suffering is used by God in our lives as a show of His grace is to keep us away or protect us from sin. The thought has crossed my mind, could it be that God was humbling me and keeping me away from pride, something that should be an ongoing reminder in ministry? I know that time God definitely drove me closer to relying on Him especially the after period as I reflect on it. I have been meditating on one passage in particular and was praying through it when I was unwell. It talks about power being perfected in our weakness. I have been thinking about an analogy of steel. If you have an iron bar and you want to shape it or mold it into something you want to perfectly, you cannot do it when it is hard. You have to put it under fire to a point when it is weak and perhaps almost melting. The shape of its outcome is perfected in its weakness. Perhaps this is what it is like for us. God puts us in state of brokenness, sometimes physically to rouse our ears to His voice. The sad reality is that sometimes we do not take the time to stop and listen. Paul writes:

7Because 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!
8Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me.
9And 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.
10Therefore 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 (2 Corinthians 12)

Lord, teach me to be humble when serving you and not to exalt myself, both when I am physically weak and physically strong. Help me in the times when I implore you, to hear your voice pointing me to your grace. Help me to boast in my weaknesses knowing that your power dwells in me. Teach me to be content with weaknesses, insults, distress, persecutions, difficulties for Christ's sake. Thank you for your grace and how it is sufficient for me.