All Sufficient Grace was originally written as one of 42 Deep Roots, Strong Faith daily devotional thoughts for Crossroads Church in Temecula, California.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
– The Apostle Paul in his letter to the church in Corinth, chapter twelve verse nine.
I remember back in the late 1970s when America experienced a severe oil shortage. Lines of cars waited for the gas stations to be resupplied. At the height of the crisis, gas could only be bought on “odd” or “even” days corresponding to the last number on the car’s license plate. The problem was that there was not enough supply to meet the need.
The story is also told of a self-important man who was shopping for a new Rolls Royce. He thoroughly examined the showroom car, looked under the hood, and asked the salesperson “how much horsepower does this engine have?” “Enough,” was the answer, “it has enough for whatever you need it to do.”
Isn’t it reassuring to know that whatever our need is, no matter how difficult our situation, the time will never come that threatens to exhaust God’s all sufficient supply of grace. His grace is enough. It is never rationed, and we will never have to wait until tomorrow to receive the supply of Grace that we need today.
But sometimes it can seem as if our need is too great and our faith is too weak. We can’t see any way out of our circumstance. If you’re there, remember Paul’s message: God’s grace is sufficient and his power is made perfect in our weakness. In those times, in the circumstances that seem most hopeless, we are able to see God’s power work on our behalf. It is in those times that the roots of our faith are strengthened and grow deeper.
The oil shortage was caused by a breakdown between the source of the oil and its availability to meet the need. God’s constant presence ensures that there will never be a gap between his grace and our need, because the promise of All Sufficient Grace is supported by the presence of its All Sufficient Source.