Grace That Sustains UsSpeaker: Dr. Paul Dhinakaran Gist: The Lord shall sustain you with His grace and strength. Dear friend, you may go through sufferings in life but when you look up to the Lord during such time, the Lord will give you grace to bear the sufferings and reward you in the end. Your sufferings will never go in vain. Yes, He will bless and make you a blessing to others.
In the Bible Apostle Paul speaks about a thorn in the flesh. He said the Lord allowed the thorn in his life and says, … “lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure” (2 Corinthians 12:7).
In 2 Corinthians 11:30 and Galatians 4:13,14 he refers to his thorn as, “my infirmity”, “physical infirmity” and says his trial which was in the flesh.”
He stated that when he prayed asking the Lord to remove the thorn, the Lord said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Apostle Paul further stated, “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12: 9).
Zeigen Balc was a twenty seven year old German missionary who came to Tranquebar, Nagapattinam, South India. He had a great passion to win souls for Jesus Christ despite his severe heart ailment. His sickness did not deter him from sharing the love of Christ to the people he met. The grace of God sustained him in that heart problem. He would say, "I cannot rest without winning at least one soul every hour for my Jesus.” This zeal and passion for the Lord made him win many souls for Him though he suffered from the thorn like heart ailment in his body. He died in his young age but his memory lingers on the minds of countless people. Many assemblies have come up through him. The Lord honoured his name.
You may wonder as why the Lord allows suffering for His people. The Bible says, “For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (Philippians 1:29).
In 1969, my father’s both lungs were badly affected by sickness and he became skin and bones. The doctors gave up hope on him. Some servants of God said that the suffering was a punishment for some sin he had committed against God. He could neither pray loudly nor even cry out to God. He lamented in tears in solitude, “Why should I have to suffer this unbearable pain and agony when I served You faithfully?” The Lord heard my father’s cry and said, “It pains Me to see you in such agony but I allowed this suffering so that you can understand the suffering of others. In days to come I will make you a blessing to millions of people. When you pray on their behalf, I will do miracles for them. He further promised that He would manifest His power and love through my father to the multitudes and healed him of his sickness.
The first “Jesus Calls” Good News Meeting was conducted in 1970 and from then on millions of people have tasted the love and power of Christ through my father. The Lord is using him mightily for His glory. It was the grace of God that sustained him during the times of suffering. The Lord has honoured and exalted him greatly because he shared in the sufferings of Christ.
Dear friend, are you suffering for Christ? Are you walking through the shadow of death? Do not be disheartened! Lord Jesus Christ shall fill you with his grace and set you free from them. He will bless you and make you a blessing to the millions around the world. People will taste the love and power of Christ through you.
Prayer:
Loving Lord Jesus,
I prostrate myself before You for Your awesome and sacrificial love for me. You suffered for me gladly on my behalf to set me free from sin. Lord, You always reward those who share in Your sufferings. Fill my life with Your grace and let it sustain me in this world. Make me a blessing to the world. Let the people taste of Your love and power through me. I give You all glory, honour and praise.
Amen.
|