“A Thorn in the Flesh.” - Tuesday 5th June

I remember there were various occasions when mum would return from work – often exasperated by a colleague, and say that they were her “thorn in the flesh…” Similarly as I was growing up I often heard others refer to difficult people or circumstances as their thorn.

Yet in all of these cases there also came a sense of complete frustration and resignation; there was nothing that could be done and enduring these “thorns” was essentially a meaningless and pointless grind.

This was not how Paul experienced and dealt with his “thorn,” (by the way we are not sure what his thorn was, some suggest it was a physical illness, others opponents to the gospel, I’ve even heard it suggested it was his wife! (For a small fee I’ll let you know who said that.))

2 Corinthians 12:7-9a “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me 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."

Paul’s first response was very human – he asked God to take it away (specific prayer is always good!). And that can be a good starting place for us – sometimes God will alleviate an ongoing problem if we simply come and ask him.

But sometimes God doesn’t. Sometimes he can use circumstances to teach us – Paul had a lesson to learn about his own weakness and God’s grace and power. Even in “torment” Paul was able to learn about the grace of God.

Is there a situation in which you need to hear those words “My grace is sufficient for you”? Why not speak those words into that situation now and allow the Holy Spirit to minister to you.

And take encouragement from Paul’s conclusion:

2 Corinthians 12: 9b-10 “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.”

If you struggle with a “thorn” that seems pointless and meaningless then let me encourage you to bring it to God and allow it to become a doorway to experiencing his grace and power. That’s what “the thorn in the flesh” is all about.