Text: “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” — 2 Corinthians 12:9
Introduction
There are some words so sweet, so weighty, that one could live off them for a lifetime. “My grace is sufficient” is one of them. Spoken by the Lord to a struggling apostle, these five words have become bread for the hungry, balm for the bruised, and a stronghold for the fainting. They are not abstract poetry. They are not theory. They are the very heartbeat of divine comfort.
Paul had a thorn. We are not told what it was—perhaps a physical affliction, perhaps emotional anguish, perhaps spiritual opposition. But what we know is this: he asked the Lord three times to remove it. And heaven did not respond with deliverance—but with grace.
Beloved, sometimes God removes the storm. But sometimes, He sends grace to walk with you through it. This sermon is a meditation on His sufficient grace.
I. The Thorn and the Cry
Before we can appreciate the grace, we must understand the weight of the thorn. Paul, the mighty apostle, who had seen the heavens and heard unutterable things, was not spared from suffering. He says in 2 Corinthians 12:7, “There was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me.”
Even the holiest are not exempt from pain. Paul cried—“I besought the Lord thrice.” Not once. Not quickly. Not carelessly. He pleaded. He longed. He knocked on the door of healing. And God replied—not with removal, but with revelation.
To every praying soul who wonders why the trial lingers, the answer may not be escape, but endurance by grace.
II. The Divine Reply: My Grace Is Sufficient
What does it mean when God says, “My grace is sufficient for thee”?
It means that what He provides is enough—more than enough—for what you lack. The Greek word for “sufficient” here is arkeo, meaning to ward off, to defend, to be content. It is not mere survival. It is divine adequacy.
It is as if God says to Paul,
“You will not be crushed by this thorn.
You will not fall beneath its weight.
My grace will rise to meet your every need.”
This grace is not generic. It is tailored. It fits the shape of your affliction. It knows the texture of your weakness. It does not run dry. It does not wear thin. It does not expire with the years. It is sufficient—because it is God’s.
III. Grace in Weakness
Why does God let weakness remain? Because in that weakness, strength is perfected.
Paul goes on to say in verse 9, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” Here is a paradox: strength is found not in strength, but in weakness. The power of Christ does not rest upon the self-sufficient. It rests upon the desperately dependent.
Grace shines brightest when all else fades. When the body breaks down, when friends fail, when energy is spent—grace steps in and says, “Now, let Me carry you.”
If you never had nights of weeping, you might never know the comfort of the Comforter. If you never walked through fire, you might never feel the fourth Man in the flame. If you were never weak, you might never learn that His strength is perfect.
IV. Biblical Examples of People Who Enjoyed Sufficient Grace in their Pain
Let us walk through the gallery of grace.
1. Job
Sitting on ashes, scraping his sores, stripped of all earthly wealth, Job found not explanation but encounter. He declared in Job 19:25, “I know that my Redeemer liveth.” Grace sustained him when theology failed.
2. David
When his child died and his camp was burned and his men wept to stone him, 1 Samuel 30:6 says, “David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.” That encouragement was not self-talk. It was grace-talk.
3. Jesus
In Gethsemane, overwhelmed with sorrow, He prayed, “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.” And yet, grace strengthened Him to say, “Nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”
Hebrews 4:15 tells us He sympathizes with our weaknesses. Why? Because He bore them. Grace bore Him. And now, He bears us.
V. The All-Sufficiency of God’s Grace
The sufficiency of grace flows from the sufficiency of God Himself.
2 Corinthians 9:8 says, “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” This is not partial help. This is total sufficiency—in every need, in every hour, in every crisis.
Whether it is grace to endure loss, grace to battle temptation, grace to overcome sin, grace to wait in silence, or grace to die well—He gives it.
The same God who gave you grace yesterday will give you grace today. And tomorrow, new mercies will rise with the sun.
VI. Receiving and Resting in This Grace
How do we walk in this grace?
1. Acknowledge Your Need
God gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). Admit your weakness. Stop pretending. Let the throne of grace be your daily address.
2. Ask for It Constantly
Hebrews 4:16 calls us to come boldly to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. You do not outgrow this grace. You grow deeper in dependence on it.
3. Rest in Its Sufficiency
Stop trying to earn what God has already supplied. Let go of the pride that says, “I must fix this myself.” Grace does not need your strength—it needs your surrender.
Say with Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:10, “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities… for when I am weak, then am I strong.”
Conclusion
“My grace is sufficient for thee.” This is not a theory. It is a promise.
It is the whisper of God in the hospital room.
It is the anchor in the midnight hour.
It is the secret of saints who sing in prison cells.
It is the strength of martyrs who smile at the flame.
It is the daily bread for weary pilgrims like you and me.
You may not be delivered from the thorn, but you will be delivered through it. Not by effort, not by grit, but by grace—grace that is enough. Grace that is sufficient.
So come, child of God. Bring your thorn. Bring your tears. Bring your tired heart. And hear Him say again:
“My grace is sufficient for thee.”
Amen.