Dust and Glory

Date: Friday, October 16, 2026

Readings: 2 Corinthians 12 | Psalm 90

Paul opens this chapter reluctantly describing a stunning spiritual experience, being caught up to the third heaven, and then pivots to something far less glamorous: a “thorn in my flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7). We don’t know what it was, and perhaps that’s a gift, because it lets every generation fill in its own ache. Most people think it’s a physical ailment. But it might not be. It could be a more sinister struggle with sin that the Holy Spirit chooses to omit. Regardless, Paul is making a kind of confession here, demonstrating that even the most faithful Christians still have struggles. Three times Paul begged for relief. God’s answer wasn’t a miraculous removal but His sustaining presence: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (12:9). Notice that Christ doesn’t say “try harder.” He says, “I am enough.”

Now read Psalm 90 beside it. This is the only psalm attributed to Moses, a man who knew wilderness and limitation. He opens with a powerful reminder: “Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations” (Psalm 90:1). Then he looks deeply into our frailty. We are dust, our years pass like grass, and our days are few. Moses doesn’t flinch, and neither does Paul. Both ask the same question in different ways: if we are this fragile, where do we find stability?

Their answer is the same: in God. Moses prays, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (90:12), and then, “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days” (90:14). Weakness is not a detour from the Christian life. It is the doorway through which grace walks in. Paul even dares to say, “when I am weak, then I am strong” (12:10). You don’t have to hide your limits from God. They may be exactly where he is most at home with you.

Devotional Prompts:

• What is your “thorn,” and what would it take to hear Christ’s “you are sufficient” instead of your own inner critic?
• Where are you tempted to project strength, and how might honesty about your weakness make God’s presence more real?

Prayer: Eternal God, our dwelling place in every generation, we bring you our weakness and our unanswered prayers. Satisfy us with your steadfast love this morning, and let your strength rest on us in the very places we feel least capable. Teach us to number our days and to treasure them in Christ. Amen.