“Let’s move on,” wrote Paul in his second letter to the Corinthian church. “Let’s go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.” And he revealed, probably for the first time ever, an out-of-the-body experience in which he was “caught up to the third heaven.” Did it happen when he was pelted with stones and left for dead outside the city gates of Lystra?
Paul was light on details, but quick to share that God had provided a weighty counterbalance to this stunning glimpse of glory:
“So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)
Again, Paul was light on details as to the nature of his “thorn.” Yet we know that it was sufficiently painful, inconvenient, debilitating, or annoying that Paul pleaded with the Lord three times to remove it.
The Gift Paul Didn’t Ask For
Paul described his thorn in the flesh as “a messenger of Satan.” As he did with Job in the Old Testament, God allowed Satan to take a swipe at a much-loved child and servant. “The gift of a handicap” (as it is described in The Message) came from Satan, and yet God allowed it.
The thorn was given. It was not a random act of chance or an accident. The thorn was God’s assignment to Paul.
When difficult assignments are handed out to biblical characters, we have a tendency to take note and then read on without realizing the impact of the loss or the suffering. After all, it’s tempting to think of Paul as a “varsity-level” Christian, able to absorb disappointment and take a hit for the team without flinching.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Paul admitted that his “handicap,” his “thorn” (whatever it was) served the purpose of keeping him in touch with his limitations. It was given to him for a purpose.
Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was given. It was not a random act of chance or an accident. The thorn was God’s assignment to Paul.
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May I ask what God has seen fit to have given to you?
Submission to God’s sovereign assignment did not change Paul’s circumstances. The affliction remained. Like Paul, you may have been given a challenge you’d rather not have, and also, like Paul, you may have prayed for its removal and received a “no.”
The Second Gift
However, with the “no,” Paul was given something else:
Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave 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)
God didn’t remove the thorn, but he gave Paul grace. And Paul was wise enough to take it.
God extends grace to you and me as well, even in our hardest challenges, but often we miss the gift because we’re so busy looking for something else. Something different. Something besides what we’ve been given.
In our frenzy to change our circumstances, we fail to remember that God is purposeful in his assignments. Whatever we’ve been given has been given with a reason. This was abundantly true of Paul’s given-grace and it is true of us today:
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
Focusing on the thorn keeps us from appreciating the gift.
Seeing God’s strength come into its own may come at the price of seeing my own strength diminished.
My limitations may cut me down to size so that God is exalted for his ability to work through one so small.
What limitations are you struggling to take in stride today?
Have you lifted your eyes from the thorn to look for God’s grace, given to you because of the thorn?
Have you begun to see ways that God’s power is being put on display in your weakness?
My Prayer for You
Our God, who is the Giver of all things, we thank you for the grace that comes to us in the midst of our wanting. Give us eyes to see you at work in the very places where we thought you had abandoned us so that we may join Paul in rejoicing that when we are weak, we are at our strongest.
Amen
Holding you in the light,
“When I am weak, then I am strong.” My limitations may cut me down to size so that God is exalted for his ability to work through one so small.
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Unfortunately, sometimes we get a “gift” that we really do not want. Mine is congestive heart failure. Three years in and I’m feeling quite good. CHF and old age aren’t a great duo but here I am enjoying every single day Father blesses me with. Love you MM
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And you are a blessing to so many!
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This passage has comforted me many times and reminded me to accept those weaknesses I have no power to change. Jesus also prayed that the cup of suffering be removed. Hebrews says He was heard because of His piety. Being heard meant God gave Him the strength and vision to drink the cup. Great post, Michele.
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We’re not going to get out of this life without suffering in some form, and when we navigate the hard times with the awareness that we are not on our own, I think that’s a powerful help to our growth in Christ.
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This is such a God-honoring way to reframe the problems and limitations that would otherwise drag us down. It keeps us humble, and reminds us of God’s great grace.
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When we admit that there is a good God orchestrating every detail of our lives, the door is opened for so much more acceptance and peace!
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Thank you for this good reminder. When we are willing to submit to the Lord even when the difficulties of health are upon us, we can rejoice in His Sovereign plan for us.
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I find myself falling back on the sovereignty and the goodness of God more and more every year 😍
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When I rely on the Sovereignty and goodness of God, I have peace that is not of my own making. This is a daily need I have to remember.
Thank you again for your timely articles❤️
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I’m encouraged by your testimony, Nancy. I’m on the same learning curve.
So good to hear from you!
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“Focusing on the thorn keeps us from appreciating the gift” – I think that is one of the things I have learned is to stop focusing on the thorn and see what God sees. I hazard to think what my life would be like without the thorns that have taught me to see what God sees and keep my face on Him. It might need shepherding to remind – but I am quicker to keep my eyes on Him more and more. What would we have to write, our praises to Him, the words with which we lift Him up, Michele, if we hadn’t experienced the thorns in our lives.?!
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Exactly! I wouldn’t have a thing to write about if it weren’t for all the things I tend to classify as “obstacles.”
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Michele, you could have used yourself as an example of someone who received a gift she didn’t need, given your own health challenges. Yet you didn’t. You’re quietly showing the way to submit to God’s plan, even when it’s disappointing, and you’ve embraced God’s grace to see you through each day. Kudos, my friend! You are no doubt encouraging MANY who know you and read your blog.
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Oh, that’s my hope, Nancy. I’m not proceeding perfectly and require lots of grace, but God is always making the grace available—more faithfully than I am at taking it.
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i found that naming my thorn helped me see it for what it is … and while i can not glory in it and wish it were gone, i accept that He can use it, and me. and that is sufficient. i trust Him with it.
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I love the way you’ve said this and how you’re living it. You’ve put your finger on the crucial point: we can trust him even with the hard things, even with the things we don’t fully understand.
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“God is purposeful in his assignments.” Whatever the assignment may be, He has purpose in it. When we look at our limitation or challenge through this lens, it helps us to see the Lord in it each day. Thankful for the grace He gives us along the way.
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So grateful for that generous offering of grace!
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There are things in my life about which I have told the Lord, “It seems like I could serve you so much better without this.” But I have to trust that He has a purpose in allowing it and rely on His grace. I think it was Nancy Demoss Wolgemuth who said anything that makes you rely more on God is a good thing.
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What an important insight, Barbara. I have also had a tendency to “advise” God on various matters…
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I agree, Michelle, sometimes the “unwanted” is exactly what I need.
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Oh, so well summarized! Yes, that’s the entire issue, my friend!
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I’m reminded here of Paul Brand’s book, The Gift of Pain. (It was referenced in The Covenant of Water; have you read it yet? I just finished! Lovely.) We never want our thorns. But to find acceptance, we have to submit to the reality of them. This is one of the hardest lessons along our journey! May we each accept our portions of grace along the way. Thanks for your wisdom, Michele.
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I think one of the hardest things believers have to absorb is the connection between suffering and grace, thorns and glory.
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