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.
2
Corinthians 12:7 NKJV
This
is probably a very familiar verse to many who have studied the New Testament,
and the subject of Paul's infirmity has been taught throughout church history.
Some of the earliest writings we have from great men of the faith deal with
Paul's struggle with his thorn. So although I doubt I could break any new
ground by talking about it, I still felt this week that the Spirit was drawing
my attention to it so today I want to share a few thoughts from my
understanding of Paul's struggle.
One
constant I seem to find when studying this passage is the attempt to identify
exactly what the nature of Paul's thorn was. There are numerous possibilities
that have been suggested and for the most part all of them seem to make some
sense in light of the supposed evidence used to support them. Something to note
about it though comes from an understanding of the word itself. When we think
of a thorn most of us imagine a small irritating prick from a rose bush.
However the Greek word used here is skolops, which is translated a “stake”,
which is a whole different thing entirely. So whatever it was, it was a major
problem in Paul's life, and not just a small irritation. Yet at the risk of
being accused of being too simplistic, my personal opinion is that trying to
identify just what it was is really a waste of time because if God wanted us to
know He would have told us.
I
truly believe the reason for this is that the whole purpose of this story is to
help us understand that in one way or another we all will share in the
situation Paul found himself in. As many blessings as he had received from the
Lord, along with them God in His wisdom also allowed burdens for Paul as well.
If you examine this verse in the context of the entire letter you will find
that what Paul is addressing is the problem of false teachers coming into the
church and boasting of their experiences and knowledge and special revelations.
Paul wants to make the case that although if he wanted to, he could easily
“outboast” all of these others, but because of the magnitude of God's blessings
on his life, Paul was also given a “thorn in the flesh” in order to keep him
humble. In essence what God did in the life of Paul was to bring balance by
allowing him to be reminded that although He had chosen to use him in a very
special way, Paul needed a reminder that it was by God's grace he was being
used and not of anything he could bring to the table.
"These
things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you
will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
John
16:33 NKJV
The
Greek word for tribulation used here is thlipsis, which can be translated
“affliction”. Many believers seem to feel that the life of someone who has
chosen to follow Christ should be one filled only with blessings, and none of
the troubles that plague non-believers. There are numerous preachers today who
have built huge ministries based on that exact premise, yet it is obvious that
Jesus is telling us here that although we can expect blessings, we can expect
afflictions as well.
Now
just like Paul, when we experience trouble our first reaction is to ask God to
take it away and make things better, yet also like Paul, we need to understand
that there is always the possibility God's answer will be “no”.
Concerning
this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.
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.
2
Corinthians 12:8-9 NKJV
As
I have studied these verses over the years, one of the things I discovered
which has had a profound effect on my personal life is just how God can work
through our troubles, and not our blessings. You see, most of us (if we had our
own way) would say that a life full of blessings from God is the perfect way to
show the world God's favor on us, yet in this verse God says just the opposite.
Now as I thought about that over time this is the conclusion I came to. Most of
us would agree the Word teaches that we are to be different from the world
around us. We are commanded to let our light shine in the darkness that
surrounds us by being different than the world, and to act differently than
unbelievers in the situations we all find ourselves in while living in this
world. But I ask you, is there really any difference to be seen between those
who believe and those who don't when it comes to receiving “blessings”?
You
see, for the most part we all will react the same when we receive something we
would consider a positive. Yet how we react when we receive something negative
is the opportunity to show the world we are different by following Paul's
example and actually being glad and rejoicing in our troubles. It is when we
are presented with trials, temptations, and persecutions that we have the
opportunity to let God's grace shine through us to be a witness to the
unbelieving world. God uses adversity to show the world His grace by giving us
the strength to endure. Job said it best in response to the advice given to him
by his wife.
Then
his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God
and die!" But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women
speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept
adversity?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips.
Job
2:9-10 NKJV
Job
understood that the adversity he was experiencing was allowed by God for a
reason. He may not have understood the reasons behind it, but his faith in God
was not shaken by the introduction of trouble in his life. All to often we find
ourselves expecting that God will smooth the path before us and remove the
things that might cause us to stumble, while showering us with blessings and
answering all our prayers. The reality shown us by Paul is that the life of the
believer is anything but easy, and God will certainly balance the blessings
with the burdens. All too often we forget that when asking God for something in
our prayers, His answer can also be “no”.
I
heard something in a sermon this week that I have heard before, but needed to
be reminded of. “Have you ever looked back on your life and thanked the Lord
for unanswered prayer”? Of course you had an answer, but it was no. Yet can you
look back and see that it was most definitely the right answer? Paul prayed
three times for his affliction to be taken away and all three times God said
no. Paul quit asking because he came to understand that God could do more
through his life with the affliction than He could without it.
And we
know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who
are the called according to [His] purpose.
Romans
8:28 NKJV
Are
you struggling with something you would consider a “thorn in the flesh”? Is
there something in your life that can cause you to stumble if you let it? God
promises us that His strength is made perfect in our weakness. Like Paul, are
you asking God to take it away rather than asking for the strength to deal with
it? It was God's intent to use Paul's thorn to demonstrate His grace and power
to the unbelieving world. A balanced life will have both blessings and burdens,
but the burdens should never stop the believer from serving. God allows them
for a reason, so accept them and be a light to the world by relying on God's
strength to deal with adversity.
Keep
watching.
