The Blessing of the Thorn
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” (2 Corinthians 12:8-9).
Paul had a powerful epiphany, and he’s eager to pass it along to the people of God.
It’s one of those lifechanging truths found within the treasure chest of Scripture.
Even though the apostle was extraordinarily gifted, at the end of the day he was a human being just like the rest of us.
And like us, he once despised “weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties” of any kind.
Until, that is, God let him in on a secret.
The problem that brought suffering wasn’t actually his enemy–it was his friend.
This new realization didn’t make him start liking adversity, but at least he was able to appreciate ways God was using his struggle for good.
And that took the sting out of the whole ordeal.
It’s a graphic description, isn’t it?
A thorn stuck in his flesh.
Ouch.
I once had a tiny splinter of glass stuck in the bottom of my heel. That was painful enough! With every step there were shockwaves of searing pain!
Fortunately, my personal physician, Dr. Barb, was able to remove it and bring me sweet relief. 😊
But Paul’s “splinter” wasn’t gonna be removed anytime soon.
He tried to pray it away, but God convinced him it was actually a blessing in disguise, and as such, needed to stay awhile.
Little did Paul realize that without his “thorn,” he would’ve easily destroyed himself and ruin everything God was doing in and through him.
Turns out, this “messenger of Satan” (as Paul dubbed it) was helping the author of thirteen New Testament epistles to be grounded in much needed humility.
Think about it.
God worked miracles, signs and wonders through this man.
In Ephesus, anyone who so much as touched his clothing was miraculously healed!
Paul even got a quick glimpse of heaven to see and hear things that cannot be expressed in human language (2 Corinthians 12:3-4)!
Any of that might’ve easily gone to his head!
And had it done so–the Apostle Paul, would be no apostle at all.
Pride comes before the fall–-and what unspeakable loss to the Christian world that would’ve be!
But, thankfully, the thorn came to his rescue.
To keep me from the devil’s snare of conceit—to prevent me from becoming proud and ruining everything, God allowed this painful problem to keep me humble and from the pride that would’ve destroyed me and my ministry.
The thorn was a lifesaver. It kept Paul safe from pride.
And after some reflecting on this, Paul had a change of heart:
“I’m learning to delight in my weaknesses, because when I am weak, I am strong.”
What’s he mean?
Weakness (like having a thorn) invites the power of God to manifest in our lives in greater ways than when everything is going great.
And very soon, when we see His face, we will realize how much our lives would have been diminished had they only been a bed of roses, without a thorn or two.
There’s a good kind of pain, my friends. And there’s a strong kind of weakness.
And there’s a grace that will carry us through.
Scriptures for further reflection: Psalm 73:26; Isaiah 40:29; Matthew 11:28-30
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYGhnbXtqbU
Lord from Sorrows Deep I Call
