Insults & pain season
2 Corinthians 12:10”Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”
I am pleased and happy with weaknesses, insults, persecutions….said Apostle Paul, who would want to say such crazy stuff; however, if only we knew the ramifications of the insults and persecutions then I guess our prayer model would change. Overall, most of the prayer list goes like this: ‘pray for my promotion, increment, appraisal, new house, loan sanction, foreign assignment, car loan approval, higher studies and so on. Once the pay level is high, job secure, good position in the organization, popular and recognized then puffed up with pride and arrogance, church attendance dips in the life of the Christian. Focus is on buying the next big car, iphone and what not… ‘More blessings takes them far away from God’ , they start thinking of vacation, weekend outings, eat outs…..Bible study, weekly meetings, church volunteering becomes passe’!
The day their job looks jittery, shaky and volatile, when the HR head calls and bombards a person , when the doctor gives them a negative health report, such insults, persecutions, humiliation, weaknesses, anxiety, fear, worry draws them to the church. 5am prayer attendance increases, church grows, weekly meetings flourish only when there are insults, persecutions and pain, anybody listening to me? Throw stones at me at this juncture, I will still say the truth. During covid, the husband attended our 5am Booster prayer, he shared gospel with his colony people, once the wife was healed, he vanished. Now what is this? During ‘INSULT & PAIN SEASON’ prayer goes like this: ‘pray for my thirst to increase to read the Bible, pray for me to fast more, I want to go on a 21 days fasting without nonveg, I want to serve the Lord, invest more time for His service, I want to spend the night in prayer, I want to help church activities…???” Alas, there is a severe dearth for such prayer requests, though!
I hope now you understand why Paul said: I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, when I am weak, then I am strong? When we are weak, we run to God to draw strength from Him! In my own life, I turned to God ONLY when pain, sickness and uncertainty surrounded by life; eventually, the ‘insult & pain season’ brought glory to my life. Hallelujah!
