Mills Memorial Baptist Church
Sunday Morning Worship
  • When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder
  • Thank You Jesus For The Blood
  • Complete In Thee
  • Spirit of the Living God

      • 2 Corinthians 12:7–10KJV1900

      • 2 Corinthians 12:7-8KJV1900

      • 2 Corinthians 12:9KJV1900

      • 2 Corinthians 12:10KJV1900

  • 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
    We are continuing our series, Ever Wonder Why?
    In this series, we are bringing some of life’s hardest questions into the light of God’s Word.
    So far, we have asked why God lets painful things happen and why a loving God would send people to hell.
    This morning we come to another question that many believers carry quietly in their hearts.
    Why didn’t God answer my prayer?
    Most of us know that prayer is powerful.
    If you have walked with God for any length of time, you have seen Him answer prayer.
    You have watched Him provide.
    You have watched Him protect.
    You have watched Him open doors.
    You have watched Him comfort hearts.
    You have watched Him do what no one else could do.
    But if we are honest, prayer can also be puzzling.
    There are times when we pray and God answers so clearly that we have no doubt He has moved.
    Then there are other times when we pray with tears, pray with faith, pray repeatedly, pray earnestly, and still heaven seems silent.
    We ask for healing, and the sickness remains.
    We ask for rescue, and the burden continues.
    We ask for deliverance, and the struggle lingers.
    We ask for clarity, and the fog does not lift.
    That is when the questions begin to rise.
    Did I pray the wrong way?
    Did I not have enough faith?
    Is God ignoring me?
    Is God angry with me?
    Does God care?
    Those are not small questions.
    Those are heart questions.
    Those are questions that come from pain.
    They are the kinds of questions that can unsettle the faith of even sincere believers.
    That is why this message matters.
    And the passage before us today is a fitting one.
    Second Corinthians 12 does not show us a weak believer stumbling around in prayer.
    It shows us the apostle Paul.
    This is the man who preached the gospel boldly.
    This is the man who suffered for Christ faithfully.
    This is the man who saw God work in powerful ways.
    Yet even Paul prayed for something to be removed, and God did not remove it.
    Instead, God gave him grace to bear it.
    That means this passage does not merely teach us about answered prayer.
    It teaches us about prayer that receives a different answer than we hoped for.
    The great truth of this message is this.
    God always hears the prayers of His children, but He answers according to His will, His wisdom, and His greater purposes.

    I. Prayer Is A Privilege We Must Treasure

    Before we talk about prayers God answers differently than we hoped, we need to begin by reminding ourselves what prayer really is.
    Prayer is not a burden God places on us.
    Prayer is a privilege God gives to us.

    A. Prayer Gives Us Access To God

    In verse 8 Paul says, “For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.”
    Paul did not merely think about his burden.
    He took it to the Lord.
    That is what prayer is.
    Prayer is bringing our burdens, desires, fears, needs, and requests before God.
    It is the child of God drawing near to the throne of grace.
    Prayer is not just a religious exercise.
    Prayer is fellowship with God.
    Now, if prayer gives us access to God, then prayer is not mainly about getting things from God.
    It is first about drawing near to God.

    B. Prayer Draws Us Near To God

    One of the great dangers in our thinking is to treat prayer like a tool for getting results.
    We may not say it that way, but sometimes that is how we think.
    We pray, and then we measure the value of prayer only by whether we got what we asked for.
    But the purpose of prayer is deeper than that.
    Prayer is one of the chief ways we know God.
    Prayer is communion with the Lord.
    Prayer is a declaration that we are not self-sufficient.
    Prayer is the soul bowing before God and saying, “I need You.”
    That is why even when God answers differently than we hoped, prayer is never wasted.
    When you pray, you are not only presenting requests.
    You are drawing near to the One who loves you.
    James 4:8 KJV
    8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
    What a promise.
    Prayer is not wasted when it brings you nearer to Him.
    Not only does prayer give us access to God and draw us near to God, but prayer also teaches us dependence upon God.

    C. Prayer Teaches Us To Depend On God

    Paul had a burden he could not fix.
    He had a thorn in the flesh.
    We are not told exactly what it was.
    Some think it was a physical affliction.
    Some think it was a recurring persecution.
    Some think it was a bodily weakness.
    Whatever it was, it was painful, humbling, and persistent.
    And what did Paul do?
    He prayed.
    Prayer is often the school where God teaches us that we are not enough in ourselves.
    That is not a cruel lesson.
    That is a gracious lesson.
    Because the sooner we learn that we are not enough, the sooner we begin to lean upon the One who is.
    Prayer strips away the illusion of control.
    Prayer reminds us that we are needy people living by the mercy of God.
    So before we ever deal with the puzzle of unanswered prayer, let us not miss the privilege of prayer.
    It gives access to God.
    It draws us near to God.
    It teaches us dependence upon God.
    So, If prayer is such a privilege, why is it that sometimes the answers are so puzzling?

    II. Prayer Is Sometimes A Puzzle We Must Face

    The Bible does not pretend that every prayer is answered in the way we hoped.
    It teaches us to face that reality honestly.

    A. Sometimes God Answers Differently Than We Desire

    Verse 8 says Paul besought the Lord three times that the thorn might depart from him.
    8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
    Paul had a clear request.
    He wanted this burden removed.
    This was not a casual prayer.
    This was not a hurried mention.
    This was earnest prayer.
    He pleaded with the Lord.
    Yet in verse 9 God did not say, “Yes, I will remove it.”
    Instead…
    2 Corinthians 12:9 KJV
    9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
    Paul asked for removal.
    God gave sustaining grace.
    Paul asked for deliverance.
    God gave dependence.
    Paul asked for immediate relief.
    God gave abiding strength.
    There are times when God answers yes.
    There are times when God answers wait.
    And there are times when God answers by giving us grace to bear what He does not choose to remove.
    That does not mean He is unkind.
    It means He is wise.
    There is a transition here we need to feel.
    Once we admit that God sometimes answers differently than we desire, we must also admit that some things can hinder prayer on our side.

    B. Sometimes There Are Hindrances We Must Consider

    When people ask, “Why didn’t God answer my prayer?” it is important to say carefully that the answer is not always the same.
    Sometimes God is doing something greater, as in Paul’s case.
    But Scripture also teaches that sometimes there are things in our lives that hinder prayer.
    Mark 11:25 KJV
    25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
    James 4:3 KJV
    3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
    First Peter 3:7 warns that wrong relationships can hinder prayer.
    1 Peter 3:7 KJV
    7 Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
    That means there are times when the problem is not that God is unwilling to hear.
    The problem is that our own hearts are not right before Him.
    That is why unanswered prayer should move us to honestlu look at ourselves and not go straight to accusations against God.
    We should ask, “Lord, is there anything in me that needs to be confessed?”
    That kind of humility is healthy.
    Now, it’s important to understand that not every unanswered prayer means there is hidden sin.
    Paul’s thorn was not a punishment for some secret wickedness.
    But sometimes prayer is hindered, and the Bible teaches us not to ignore that possibility.
    There is another transition we need to make.
    Not only can there be hindrances to consider, but there are also mysteries we must accept.

    C. Sometimes There Are Mysteries We Must Accept

    There are moments when even after examining our hearts, we still do not know why God answered as He did.
    That is where faith is tested.
    We like answers that explain everything neatly.
    But God has not promised to explain everything fully in this life.
    Deuteronomy 29:29 says,
    Deuteronomy 29:29 KJV
    29 The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.
    There will be moments in your life when the answer is simply that God knows what you do not know.
    That is not easy.
    That can be painful.
    But it is still true.
    A child may not understand why a loving father says no.
    But the father’s wisdom is not limited by the child’s understanding.
    And God’s wisdom is not limited by ours.
    That leads us to the turning point in this passage.
    If prayer is sometimes a puzzle, then what should steady us when the answers are hard?

    III. God’s Purposes Are Better Than We First See

    The turning point of this text is that God was not ignoring Paul.
    God was accomplishing something in Paul that Paul could not fully see at first.

    A. God May Be Protecting Us From Pride

    Verse 7 says, “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh.”
    Paul tells us plainly that one purpose of the thorn was to keep him humble.
    That’s striking.
    The very thing Paul wanted removed was one of the means God was using to protect his soul.
    Paul had received extraordinary revelations.
    There was danger in that.
    Not danger from God, but danger in Paul’s own flesh.
    He could have been lifted up in pride.
    And so God, in wisdom, allowed a thorn to remain.
    How often do we pray for the removal of something that God may be using for our protection?
    That does not mean the thorn was pleasant.
    It means God had purpose in it.
    There is a transition here from protection to formation.
    God may be protecting us from pride, and He may also be forming us in weakness.

    B. God May Be Forming Us Through Weakness

    Verse 9 says, “My strength is made perfect in weakness.”
    That is not the way we naturally think.
    But God often does some of His deepest work through weakness.
    Why?
    Because weakness drives us to Him.
    That is why Paul says at the end of verse 9, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
    That is not natural.
    That is grace.
    Paul is saying, “If weakness becomes the place where Christ’s power rests on me, then weakness is not wasted.”
    That is a profound truth.
    We spend so much time asking God to make us stronger in ourselves.
    But God’s purpose is often to make us more dependent on Christ.
    Not only may God be protecting us from pride and forming us through weakness, but He may also be displaying His sufficiency in the very place we feel our need the most.

    C. God May Be Displaying His Sufficiency

    The Lord said, “My grace is sufficient for thee.”
    That is one of the sweetest promises in the passage.
    Notice that God did not say, “Paul, you are sufficient.”
    He did not say, “Paul, dig deeper.”
    He did not say, “Paul, be tougher.”
    He said, “My grace is sufficient for thee.”
    The answer to Paul’s thorn was not greater confidence in Paul.
    It was greater confidence in Christ.
    This is where so many of us need help.
    When we pray, we often want God to change the outward situation first.
    Sometimes He does.
    But sometimes He answers by saying, “I will be enough for you in this.”
    That is not a lesser answer.
    It means the grace of God can sustain where circumstances do not change.
    Now this brings us to the practical conclusion of the message.
    If God’s purposes are better than we first see, how should we respond when prayer is answered differently than we hoped?

    IV. Faith Must Continue Even When Answers Are Hard

    This passage does not teach us to stop praying.
    It teaches us how to keep trusting.

    A. We Must Keep Bringing Our Burdens To God

    Paul prayed three times.
    He did not say, “I asked once, and since God did not move immediately, I am done.”
    He continued to bring the burden to the Lord.
    That is a needed word for many believers.
    Do not stop praying because one answer was delayed.
    Keep going to God.
    Keep pouring out your heart.
    Keep asking.
    Keep seeking.
    Keep knocking.
    Luke 18 teaches that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.
    The answer to confusing prayer is not prayerlessness.
    It is persevering prayer.
    As we keep bringing our burdens to God, we must also keep submitting ourselves to His wisdom.

    B. We Must Keep Bowing To God’s Wisdom

    It is one thing to bring a request.
    It is another thing to bow to the answer.
    This is where trust becomes real.
    Trust is not proven when God does exactly what I wanted.
    Trust is proven when I still believe He is wise, even when He answers differently than I hoped.
    That is where Paul arrives in this passage.
    He says in verse 10, “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake.”
    Why?
    “For when I am weak, then am I strong.”
    Paul is not saying pain became pleasant in itself.
    He is saying the presence and power of Christ in his weakness became more precious to him than the removal of the burden.
    That is faith bowing before wisdom.
    It says, “Lord, I still would have chosen differently, but I trust You.”
    That is not easy.
    But it is godly.
    And then, As we keep bringing our burdens to God and bowing to His wisdom, we must also keep believing that His grace will be enough.

    C. We Must Keep Believing God’s Grace Is Enough

    The Christian life is not sustained by explanations alone.
    It is sustained by grace.
    There are times when you will not get a full explanation.
    There are times when you will still have questions.
    There are times when the thorn will remain.
    But in every one of those moments, the promise still stands.
    “My grace is sufficient for thee.”
    God’s grace is not thin.
    It is not fragile.
    It is not barely enough.
    It is sufficient.
    And not only sufficient, but it is strengthening.
    For His strength is made perfect in weakness.

    Conclusion

    So why didn’t God answer my prayer?
    Sometimes the answer is that there are hindrances that need to be dealt with.
    Sometimes the answer is that God is doing something higher than we first understand.
    Sometimes the answer is simply that His wisdom sees what ours cannot.
    But the clear truth of this passage is that God was not ignoring Paul.
    He was giving grace.
    And the same God still works that way today.
    Do not measure the love of God only by whether He gave you the answer you wanted.
    Measure the love of God by the cross of Jesus Christ.
    At Calvary, God forever settled the question of whether He cares for His children.
    He gave His Son for us.
    And if He gave His Son for us, then we can be sure He is not careless with our tears or indifferent to our cries.
    If you are in a season right now where prayer feels heavy and answers feel hard, do not walk away from God.
    Go nearer to Him.
    Keep praying.
    Keep trusting.
    Keep leaning.
    Keep believing that His grace is sufficient for thee.
    And perhaps there is someone here this morning who does not know Christ as Savior.
    You may pray in moments of crisis.
    You may believe in God in a general way.
    But you have never come to Jesus Christ in repentance and faith.
    The greatest prayer God delights to answer is the cry of a sinner who comes to Him for mercy.
    Jesus died for our sins and rose again.
    If you will turn from your sin and trust Him, He will forgive you, save you, and make you His own.
    Then you will not be praying as a stranger.
    You will be praying as a child.
    And what a mercy that is.

      • James 4:8KJV1900

      • 2 Corinthians 12:9KJV1900

      • Mark 11:25KJV1900

      • James 4:3KJV1900

      • 1 Peter 3:7KJV1900

      • Deuteronomy 29:29KJV1900

  • I Am Thine O Lord
Mills Memorial Baptist Church
millsmemorialbapt@gmail.com
989-843-6433
https://millsmemorial.faithlifesites.com
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