(Romans 15:13 (NIV) “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
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When we give the Lord our trust, we get His true riches in return. Riches such as peace beyond human understanding, security about the future, inexpressible joy, greater awareness of His presence and a deep sense of satisfaction and well-being coming from the realization that we are deeply loved by our Creator.
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Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) 5 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
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Afflicted by an ailment, the apostle Paul begged the Lord to remove it. But God saw the situation differently. Instead of removing the problem, He informed Paul that the grace Paul was already receiving was sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9). It clearly did not feel sufficient to Paul or he would not have asked God to take it away in the first place. But the Lord is the One who holds the master plan for our lives and therefore He determines what is “sufficient.” His answer to Paul could very well have been stated, “The grace you are presently receiving is perfectly measured to accomplish My glorious plans for you and My eternal purposes through you.” ______________________________________________________________
The Lord knows our faith in Him needs to be reinforced by His intervention in our life experiences. That is His job. Our job is to trust in His judgment regarding when and how He intervenes. Paul did not sulk because he did not get what he asked for; instead he chose to gladly boast in his weaknesses, trusting God to creatively supply whatever was lacking in Paul’s resources and ability.
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And on the other hand…
2 Kings 17:14-15 (NIV) 14 But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their fathers, who did not trust in the LORD their God. 15 They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their fathers and the warnings he had given them. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the LORD had ordered them, “Do not do as they do,” and they did the things the LORD had forbidden them to do.
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