Have you ever prayed for something that didn’t come to pass? You’re in good company. In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul said that he repeatedly prayed to be free of a tormenting “thorn in my flesh.” Jesus didn’t heal him and didn’t explain why. He simply told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you.”
What was Jesus saying?
In her book, Operating Instructions, Anne Lamott tells of a friend whose little two-year-old boy inadvertently locked himself in a dark room. All the child had to do was simply turn the doorknob to get out, and his mother tried to explain this to him. But as the toddler realized his mother wasn’t opening the door for him his panic rose and he became inconsolable. So, the mother lay down on her side of the door, slipped her fingers through the gap between the door and the floor. She asked her child to do the same. When he did so, the child calmed down enough to listen to his mother’s instructions.
I have a love-hate relationship with the writings of Anne Lamott, but this story beautifully illustrates what Jesus was doing with the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12. Paul wanted Jesus to open the door and give him healing and relief from his suffering. Jesus didn’t heal him and didn’t tell him why he wouldn’t. But the Lord got down on the floor and put his fingers through the gap beneath the door and said, “Peace, child. My grace is sufficient for you.” When Paul touched those fingers, he was comforted.
One day, our Savior will open the door at his return, and pain and heartbreak will be no more. In the meantime, we have divine fingers under the door—we have all these reminders of his presence. And as Lamott said in her book, “It isn’t enough, and it is.”
This Sunday we’ll talk about trusting God when he says “no” to a prayer request. It’s part of our campaign called, “Forty Days of Prayer.” Do you have a prayer request we can pray about during these 40 Days? Turn it in at www.hillcrest.church/prayer.
--Tom
Sign up here to receive Tom Goodman’s weekly devotional in your email inbox. Tom serves as pastor at Hillcrest Church in Austin, Texas. His sermons are available on YouTube and the HillcrestToGo Podcast and you can find him on Facebook and Twitter.