Our Redeemer Lutheran Church

We have a much to be thankful for each day. Here is a Thanksgiving Day devotion to help you see that God is with us throughout our lives.

  2 Corinthians 12:7-10

⁷So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. ⁸Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. ⁹But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

 As a kid, I did not want to be around the Thanksgiving table. Sometimes, there were years I dreaded. I could not think about a single thing for which to be thankful. When Thanksgiving came around, I was not thrilled because everyone around the Thanksgiving table had to say what they are most thankful for. 

I would usually state something simple such as “a roof over my head” or “running water.” Each Thanksgiving, I would struggle with finding something to be thankful for. I was going through so many problems, which made me unthankful about life in general.

     In today's text Paul describes how he is suffering because God gave him a thorn in the flesh. We do not know what Paul is talking about, but he might have been sick, a physical limitation, or depression; though we do know that God would not take away Paul’s pain. Why would God not want to solve Paul’s problem? On the other hand, Paul is glad about his weaknesses because God’s power is made perfect in weakness. This entire passage is hard to understand because there should be no connection between being thankful and weak.

     When we are around the Thanksgiving Day table, we do not talk about our weaknesses. That is not what people say they are thankful for at all. Most people state that they are thankful for family, friends, and the bare necessities of life. The last topic anyone would want to mention is their troubles, concerns, and failures. No one wants to appear weak before another person because it is embarrassing.

     However, we cannot ignore our own suffering and weaknesses. Even if we are at the Thanksgiving table, our own personal problems will preoccupy our minds. There will always be a problem that comes up in life because we live in a world of sin. We ask ourselves, “when will I finally be thankful for everything? When will the pain stop?” In this life there will be tragedies that happen each day and they should not be ignored. A tragedy is heard about for a long time because people speak about it repeatedly. We all need to grieve and be heard by someone, because suffering lingers too long in our hearts and minds. We are in desperate need for someone to care about us and listen to our woes.

          Paul found that God was there for him amid his suffering. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 12: 9, “But God said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you for 

my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast even more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” Another way to translate the text is “my grace is enough for you.” Paul understood that

God’s grace is greater than His weaknesses. The reason God’s power is made perfect in weakness is because God can use suffering for His glory. The Lord comes to us amid our suffering to comfort us with Words from the Gospel. In our moment of sorrow, the gospel brings comforting words to the mind and heart. We understand that the Lord has always been with us, loved us,

and continues to strengthen our faith. Through the preaching and teaching of God’s grace our hearts feel at ease because the Lord is greater than our weaknesses. We know that God’s grace is greater than our struggles and weaknesses because He redeems us.

    We can see this clearly in the crucifixion of Jesus, that God is more powerful than death itself. We do not see Christ, the king of kings, on a throne. We see Him bleeding to death on a cross, for the sake of the world. We see God amid suffering, which is beyond our understanding. We are the ones who deserve the suffering, yet God takes this freely upon Himself because of His mercy. Our Lord is greater than our greatest weakness. We have a God that has defeated death itself, which means He has more than enough power to forgive and watch over us. The crucifixion of Jesus shows that the Lord is willing to suffer on our behalf and be there for us in tough times. That is why we see multiple accounts in the books of the Gospel, where Jesus is around the sick, ill, and dying. Our Lord wants to be close to His children no matter how dark the situation is.

          Through faith, we gain a new attitude that helps us to be content with hardships. Paul was willing to keep being an apostle of Christ despite being persecuted throughout life. Paul proclaims in 2 Corinthians 12:10, 

“For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, I am strong.” Paul has faith that God will provide for Him in the future. Even though things may be bleak, Paul knows that God has a plan. He may not fully understand the Lord’s actions, but he knows that the Lord is at work.   So today around the thanksgiving table, I am always thankful that God is with me amid my suffering. By taking on flesh, dying on the cross, and rising again Christ has conquered death. Through faith in Christ, I understand that God can take the worst situation and use it for His glory. Therefore, I know that God can be there amid my suffering and help me to endure it.

     We may not be thankful for the hardships we face in life, but we all can be thankful for the God who is with us despite our suffering. Despite the weaknesses we have in life, God can use them to build up faith and confidence in His plan of salvation. Even Though we may be hurting and troubled, we can see that God is working through the church today to help those who dwell in darkness. Let us thank the Lord for His work in our lives.

Let us pray.

O God the one from whom all blessings spring forth; Out of all our blessings, we should be most thankful that you are with us through every trial and tribulation. We thank you for being there with us every step we take throughout life. So that we may work together, knowing fully that even though challenges are ahead. You are stronger than our weaknesses and you can work through them. In your heavenly name, Amen.