United Church of Christ Daily Devotional 18th June 2025, Wednesday Message
Sufficient
By Matt Laney
Three times I appealed to the Lord about this … but [God] said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you.’ – 2 Corinthians 12:8-9 (NRSV)
The number four had always been special to them.
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They were married on April 4th, after knowing each other for four years. They had four children. So when their fortieth anniversary rolled around, he wanted a ceremony to renew their vows.
She resisted.
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“Why renew something that never wore out?” she asked. “Wouldn’t that suggest the original vows didn’t hold?” After so many years together, a ceremony might stir up what didn’t go right, rather than celebrate all that did.
He persisted.
She listened patiently. She treasured his protestations of devotion. But she couldn’t bring herself to do something so unnecessarily performative. Eventually, seeing the strain it caused her, he let it go.
One night, lying side by side with fingers entwined—as they often did while waiting for sleep—she whispered, “Let’s never stop holding hands.”
For him, it was enough. It was sufficient.
Paul had a yearning he just couldn’t resolve. He begged God to address it several times. He didn’t get healing or relief. He got a promise: “My grace is sufficient for you.”
That’s Bible talk for: “You might not get exactly what you asked for, but you’ll get what you need.”
Prayer
Hold my hand through what changes and through what doesn’t. Remind me that your grace never lets go.
About the AuthorMatt Laney is co-Pastor of Virginia Highland Church UCC in Atlanta, GA and the author of Pride Wars, a fantasy series published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for Young Readers. The first two books, The Spinner Prince and The Four Guardians are available now.
