As we trundle into the 3rd week of 2021, there seems to be a lot of turmoil spilling over from 2020.  Things feel chaotic and uncertain.  We’ve still got a pandemic around with months still ahead of us.  Our government is kind of dealing with a lot right now, and we’ve seen divisions within the American church like we haven’t seen in a number of years.  There’s not much to be confident in moving forward because everything feels kind of suspect.  And so, praise be to the Lord that we are looking at confidence in Christ this week.  We’ll be doing that out of 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, and I’m super excited to preach on this passage.  It’s been one of my favorite passages since I hit college because it is so very helpful and challenging at the same time.

This passage helps when I am struggling, when I’m suffering, when things don’t seem to be going well because it reminds me that God’s grace is sufficient for me in my weakness.  I’m reminded that when I am weak, God’s power is made manifest in my life as the Lord perseveres me through whatever I’m facing.  It is a glorious blessing in the midst of hardship.  But it is also challenging because I don’t feel confident in God’s power being made perfect in my weakness, and I don’t feel like God’s grace is sufficient.  And yet, as we walk through suffering and hardship depending on the Lord, not only is Christ’s sufficiency and power displayed to those around us as we persevere, but also to ourselves, as we learn that our feelings of struggle and weakness drive us to a greater and more intimate understanding of who God is and just how much He loves us.

I encourage you to spend some time dwelling on 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 in the lead up to Sunday’s morning worship.  Our weaknesses as a nation, as a church, and as believers are being exposed in this time of suffering and turmoil.  Let us rejoice that we are firmly in the grip of the Lord, and that His grace is sufficient, for His power is made perfect in weakness.  Hopefully this Sunday, we will see the great riches of God’s grace to us and the present value of the gospel in our lives to give us confidence in the midst of uncertainty.  See you Sunday!