Thorns

"...to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh…

Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away.

Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”

So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses,

so that the power of Christ can work through me."   --2 Corinthians 12:7-9

Do you have a “thorn in your flesh”?  Something in your life that makes you limp?  Some thorns poke us and irritate us. Others are a constant source of pain. Many times our thorns bring us to our knees, begging God to take them away and give us relief.  Many times our thorns hold us prisoner in the “why” of it all.

My "thorn in the flesh" is depression.  It is an invisible thorn that has quietly embedded itself under the surface and remains hidden until the surrounding environment is ripe for it to flare up.  I can trace evidences of it back to my adolescence and am finally convinced that this is a thorn I will not be rid of.

My thorn causes me shame and most of the time I am successful at keeping it hidden.  But the aposle Paul said he chose to boast about his thorn.  Paul had some fantastic spiritual experiences that could have been the theme for his testimony - supernatural things God had done in his life – things very few people had experienced. He had every right to boast about these experiences and God would have been glorified in his story.  But Paul chose to boast only in his weaknesses, because he wanted his message to be relatable and “thorns” are universal.

In dealing repeatedly with his own thorn, Paul came to realize that  “divine power is best displayed against the backdrop of human weaknesses*.”  To Paul, there was a better message than, “Look what fantastic things have happened to me.”  It was, “I am consistently weak and God’s grace is consistenly enough.”  His power is activated by our inabilities, and He receives glory in a way that gives others hope. 

“When Paul came to the end of himself,

Christ alone was seen."*

While we would never choose them for ourselves, our thorns bring a greater depth to our lives.  Pain makes us seek God.  Need makes us search.  What we find is God’s grace -not always relief, but the grace to put one foot in front of the other.  Our perspective is changed from helplessness to hope when God gives us answers we didn’t expect and strength we could never muster on our own.

"So I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions,

and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

2 Cor. 12:10

* Quotes are taken from David K. Lowrey, Bible Knowledge Commentary