2 Corinthians 12:7-10  Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 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. 10 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.

When the apostle Paul pleaded with God to remove his weakness, God responded that His grace (not his removal of hardship) is sufficient.  God knows Paul’s need and allows His power to rest on Paul. We need God’s grace more than answers to our suffering.  We need His power more than removal of our weaknesses. God didn’t remove Christ’s suffering when He pleaded with God in the Garden of Gethsemene, but allowed Him to endure the cross and then unleashed His power and resurrected Christ. When we contemplate our own suffering and weakness in light of the cross, we experience peace in knowing God is gracing us with His power and strength!