Such Glorious Knowledge

I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12, verse 9. Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

Our reading, titled Such Glorious Knowledge, was written by Monica LaRose and read by Tony Collier. 2 Corinthians, chapter 12, verses 1 through 10. I must go on boasting, although there is nothing to be gained. I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. I know a man in Christ, who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body, I do not know.

God knows. And I know that this man, whether in the body or apart from the body, I do not know, but God knows, was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me, but 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.

For when I am weak, then I am strong. Such Glorious Knowledge, written by Monica Larose Medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas endured much to dedicate himself to a life of seeking God. His family imprisoned him for a year in an attempt to discourage him from joining the Dominican Order, a monastic group dedicated to a life of simplicity, study, and preaching. After a lifetime of studying scripture and creation and writing nearly 100 volumes, Aquinas had such an intense experience of God that he wrote, I can no longer write, for God has given me such glorious knowledge that all contained in my works are a straw.

He died only three months later. The Apostle Paul also described an experience from God so overwhelming that it was impossible to put into words. When he was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. Because of these surpassingly great revelations, Paul was given an unidentified thorn in his flesh to keep him humble and reliant on God. He was told, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. The more we understand about God, the more we understand how impossible it is for us to capture who He is in words. Yet in our weakness and in our loss for what to say, Christ's grace and beauty shines clearly through.

Let's pray. Lord, your greatness is beyond what words can express. Yet your grace meets us in our weakness. Teach us to rely on you fully, trusting that your power will sustain us and shine through our lives.

In Jesus' name we pray, amen. As you go about your day, reflect on these questions. What experiences from God do you find impossible to put into words? How would these experiences change you?