2 Corinthians 12: 1-10 (NIV)
Paul’s Vision and His Thorn
1I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. 3 And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— 4 was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. 5 I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. 6 Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, 7 or because of these surpassingly great revelations. 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.
As I was reading the word this morning I came across a familiar passage. Paul in his frustration with the Corinthians is trying to explain why he doesn’t boast like many of the false apostles did at the time and how he had every right to but chose not to. The Lord highlighted to me verse 7. See Paul talks about experiencing a third heaven, witnessing and hearing “inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell” and yet he says “But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, or because of these surpassingly great revelations.” Paul in his words and actions sought humility yet he was “given a thorn in his flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment him” and keep him from becoming proud as some translations would say.
If a man like Paul who sought humility and boasted in his weaknesses was given a thorn in his flesh to keep him from being conceited, how much more do we need to keep us from becoming conceited? I’d need a pretty big thorn and I haven’t seen the third heaven…
I believe that God has already placed some form of a “thorn in our flesh” in our lives during these past several months of COVID-19. I believe that many of us have prayed like Paul for this “thorn” to go away, probably more than three times. But for some divine reason this thorn is still here, so what do we do about it?
Well taking a page out of Paul’s book I’d say when we have come to the end of ourselves and are done pleading for the thorn to go away, seek the Lord and hear what He has to say. Paul sought the Lord pleading for this thorn to be removed and with one sentence from God “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness,” Paul was able to endure. But not only was he able to endure, his whole attitude changed. He said “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.”
I don’t know what your “thorn” is but maybe it’s time to seek the Lord and ask Him what He has to say about it. Maybe He will give you a word that will help you endure to the end, maybe He will change your attitude about the “thorn” itself.
I pray that as you seek the Lord about a “thorn” in your life, that He will speak to you and that His words will give you comfort and peace. I pray that as we humble ourselves before the Lord that His power would be made perfect in our weakness and that His grace is sufficient for us all. I pray this all in Jesus Name, Amen!