Scripture

2 Corinthians 12:7-9a (NIV)

To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Consider

Is there a relationship in your life that you would describe as a “thorn”? Perhaps you work with a person who makes your job miserable, or a family member repeatedly breaks your heart. You may have survived an abusive childhood or marriage but still suffer from the damage done to you. On the other hand, perhaps you live with the pain of having said or done something that harmed another person, and you wish you could take it back.

In his letter to the Corinthian church, Paul describes his experience with a “thorn.” Scholars speculate that his thorn was a physical ailment of some kind. Whatever its nature, the thorn caused Paul so much torment that he pleaded repeatedly with God for relief. The answer Paul received to his begging prayers tells us that God is concerned not so much with the thorn itself as with our response to it.

Thorny situations test us for strength of character—whether we can be strong and resourceful, whether we can act with integrity and persevere despite the pain of our situation. Thorns also test us for the strength of our faith. When we are in the jaws of relentless suffering, we may begin to doubt whether our God is indeed loving, powerful, and just. We begin to believe that we may be alone and without help in our torment.

In such situations, our danger lies not in the thorn itself but in our temptation to respond to the thorn in ways that shut us away from God. If God will not remove the thorn, we may doubt that God cares or is able to act. We may take it upon ourselves to respond to the source of our pain with vengeance or cruelty or passive-aggressive manipulations. We might withdraw from the pain by turning in on ourselves, leading us into depression, anxiety, or substance abuse.

Paul discovered that by leaving the thorn in place, God revealed to him a valuable truth about discipleship. It is not contentment, but rather adversity, that deepens our faith and strengthens our witness. Thorns push us toward spiritual alternatives, either to believe God and trust God’s ways, or to reject God and forge our own path to a solution. Like Jesus in the desert, we face our strongest temptations to sin when we are weak from pain or hunger or sadness or fear. Paul declares that it is in just such places that God’s grace is most powerful—to sustain us, to reassure us of God’s loving concern, and to shine God’s glory through us to the watching world.

Pray

Faithful Father, sometimes I long for rescue from a painful situation, and I wonder why you don’t help me. At such times, may the words of my heart be, “Even in this, Lord, I trust you.” Help me to focus my attention less on the thorn that causes me trouble and more on how the thorn affects my relationship with you. Thank you for your grace that sustains me as I surrender myself to your loving care.

Reflect

Isaiah 48:10; Philippians 4:12-13

Ponder

Who or what has been a thorn to me? What has this thorn exposed about my character and my faith?