When God? (2) – When God is Uncooperative (2 Cor 12:7-10)

Sermon – [audio:ec_111013.mp3]

Laura Story: Blessings (sung by Sonia) – [audio:Sonia-solo.mp3]

Last week we started this series called When God? and we found out that every one of us would experience a period of time in our lives when God seems inattentive, uncooperative, or late. No matter how much faith you think you have as a Christian there will be a time when you feel like God is distant from you. You have prayed and prayed for your marriage, for your job, maybe for your kids, and it just seems like God is not answering your prayers. What should we do then? We learned last week from John the Baptist’s story that when God seems inattentive we must look back and remember God’s faithfulness in our lives, and look outside of us and reflect on God’s activity in the world. That’s how we can strengthen our faith when God seems inattentive.

Today we are going to talk about what we should do when God seems uncooperative, when God seems to flat out say “no” to our requests. He didn’t just ignore us; he did exactly the opposite of what we wanted Him to do. Did you know that there was a well-known person in the Bible named Paul who went through exactly that? As we look at Paul’s story today, and as we think about the times when God said no, we will learn that we can experience something that is always available to us – God’s sustaining grace.

Moving Forward

While we have permission to ask God to remove our thorns, God has the right to say “no” to our requests. What do you do when God chooses to showcase his power on the stage of your weakness? Take “no” for an answer. When you do, God gives you something in return: sustaining grace.

Discussion Questions

1. Imagine a God you could control. What would you like or dislike about a God you could control?

2. Describe a time when God said “no” to your prayers. Did it cause you to question his existence?

3. When God said “no” to you, did you submit to his will or struggle to deal with the situation in your own strength? What was the result of your choice?

4. Read 2 Corinthians 12:6-9. What does the fact that God didn’t remove Paul’s “thorn,” but chose to use Paul’s weakness to demonstrate his own power tell you about God’s priorities?

5. Read 2 Corinthians 12:10. How could the story of Paul’s “thorn” strengthen your faith when God seems uncooperative?