Paul knew all about demons and God used him in casting them out and delivering people from their power. He was an authority on demons. But one day the Lord permitted one of them to go out after him: “a messenger of Satan,” which is a demon. (2 Cor. 12:7) He went after him to buffet and torment him. What did Paul naturally think? Just what anyone else would have thought:
“Why, this is not of the Lord. I am serving Him and I shall not have this to con tend with. I have dealt with demons before and I shall use the same technique on this one.”
So no doubt he rebuked him. But the demon did not leave!
Paul may have said, “Say, didn’t you hear me? I tell you I am the Lord’s servant and I don’t intend to be tormented by you. ‘Jesus was manifested to destroy the works of the devil.’ I shall believe that promise right now. You get out.”
But Paul found the next day that the demon still was there. How many of you know that it would not have done Paul any good to claim all those lovely promises? How many know that the demon is a work of the devil? And as “Jesus was manifested to destroy the works of the devil”, Paul had a right to appropriate the promise and say, “Now Lord, here is Your word, You destroy him.” But the Lord did not destroy him!
Paul tried it a third time and finally he made a wonderful discovery. What was it? That THAT promise did not pertain to that situation. The promise was all right and doubtless it would work in some other situation. Perhaps that is the promise God had him use the very next afternoon, but here he could not employ it. Why?
Because in God’s will, in God’s design, in God’s purpose for Paul he was to have a demon, and all the fasting, praying and pleading would not have affected that demon in the least. God permitted it and said, as it were,
“Stop praying. You need not pray about that any more, I shall not destroy that demon just to please you. He is there to keep you in balance because nothing else will. But I will tell you what I will do: I will give you My divine grace, which is more than the power of the demon. In My plan and purpose and economy for you there is a demon to torment you. I have it in My divine arrangement and you cannot change it by claiming all the promises in the Bible. Over against the onslaught of the enemy I have My grace which will be sufficient for you. So don’t fuss and fume with the demon, but get busy with the grace.”