Don't Remove the Thorn

"For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me. And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Corinthians 12:6-9).

This morning during my time with the Lord, I began to think about the apostle Paul and his comments about the thorn in his flesh. As I pondered this, the Lord began to speak to my heart, and I thought I’d share it with you. I hope this will be a source of encouragement for you as it is for me.

Being human, we all face difficult and challenging things in life. Sometimes these situations bring such pressure that we loose our excitement for the purpose to which Christ has called us. We begin to withdraw out of fear and/or anger. We build up our walls of defense in an effort to protect ourselves from further hurt, then we "lay low" and hope for the best.

Speaking from the flesh, this is natural. After all, none of us enjoys the difficulties in life. None of us enjoys being hurt. None of us enjoys being misunderstood and rejected.

The apostle Paul said "…there was given to me a thorn in the flesh…." As I pondered that phrase, I wondered why in the world would he consider that it was given to him? Then I re-read the preceding words, "lest I should be exalted above measure."

Even with the knowledge that there was a reason, Paul prayed three times that this thorn would be removed. Like all of us, this great apostle didn’t enjoy the pain. He didn’t enjoy the limitations imposed upon his ministry as a result of the thorn, so he prayed.

Although this man had an extraordinary relationship with the risen Christ, His prayer was not to be answered, as he desired. He wanted the thorn removed, but after three earnest prayers, the
Lord responded by saying, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness."

We don’t know exactly what this thorn in the flesh was for the apostle Paul. All we know is that it was not pleasant. But God’s grace was and is sufficient!

Clearly, the flesh desires certain results when we pray, but the flesh must be subject to the Spirit. Rather than allowing the flesh to respond to our challenges and difficulties, we should trust in the grace of God. He will see us through!

So, don’t try to remove the thorn. It may be there for a reason. It may be that the Lord is trying to teach us humility. Remember, God’s grace is sufficient for YOU!