THORNS AND GRACE
2 CORINTHIANS 12:7-10 N.K.J.V.
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
There is little to no hyperbole when I say that the apostle Paul was one of the strongest, most spiritually mature Christians that has ever lived. And his perspective in these verses is an example of that strength.
God had given Paul an abundance of revelations. He wrote 3/4ths of the New Testament. But he was also given a thorn in the flesh. But notice what Paul said about this thorn.
He called it a messenger of Satan. He never said the thorn was from God. Way too often, people have equated Paul’s thorn with physical sickness and disease. But the word messenger is the Greek word aggelos and means one who is sent to perform something. It is the same word used for angels in the rest of the New Testament. Paul’s thorn was a demonic force that opposed him and stirred up trouble everywhere he went.
When Paul asked the Lord to take this messenger away from him, the Lord gave him a different perspective. The Lord relayed that His grace, His power, and ability on Paul’s behalf, was enough to deal with the situation. The Lord said that His strength would show up big in human weakness.
This revelation changed Paul’s perspective on problems. He was able to say that he actually took pleasure in the problems that came his way. Paul dealt with weakness, being spoken badly about, needs, being persecuted, and finding himself in distressing situations. Paul did not say he avoided all these challenges but actually was able to take pleasure in them. Paul knew that when problems showed up, God’s grace would show up in an even greater way. Paul knew that when he was weak and did not have the ability to overcome the adversities, it was then that God’s grace would make him strong.
APPLICATION:
I cannot say that verse 10, taking pleasure in problems, is a verse that has made my refrigerator or my daily confession list. And I imagine that I am not alone in this oversight.
And it is an oversight. We need to have more faith in God’s grace that we do fear of the thorns.
But there is another perspective of Paul’s that is important to note. Paul recognized that the problems he encountered were related to his purpose of spreading the gospel. Paul had a confidence that he was living for the Lord and endeavoring to do God’s will. Paul knew he was an ambassador for Christ. Knowing that he represented the Lord was a source of confidence when he faced problems for Christ’s sake.
Because we are the body of Christ and ambassadors for Him, we can adopt that same perspective. This is not about being called to preach but being called to be a light for Christ in a dark world. With that perspective, we can learn to lean on God’s grace and His strength. His grace is stronger than the sting of the thorns.
PRAYER:
Lord, I belong to You and purpose to do Your will during my time here on earth. Thank You for Your grace that makes me strong when thorns come my way.