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 12:9 NKJV
What is your weakness? Not chocolate, but the big stuff. The apostle Paul had his share of problems, and I love that he didn’t hide them.
Paul had a divine encounter with the Lord on the Damascus Road. God gave him visions, but He knew this could trigger sinful pride. So, God gave Paul a thorn in the flesh. That’s right. God, not the devil, gave it to him. Every single thing that comes our way is Father-filtered. It passes through the hands of God before reaching us. Paul prayed three times asking God to remove this thorn, but He denied Paul. Instead, God gave Paul sufficient grace to bear his thorn, and God gives us grace too. Scripture doesn’t identify Paul’s thorn. The most popular possibilities include a troublesome person, persecution, malaria, or a vision problem. Whatever it was, Paul had to live with it.
Why are thorns a necessary part of life? Why do rose bushes have thorns? The protruding sharp points on a rose bush are called prickles, and they help the rose bush by deterring animals from eating the foliage. They also aid the bush in climbing over obstacles as it grows. * Our thorns are beneficial to us too.
Paul didn’t portray himself as a super Christian, untainted by flaws. Paul got sick. He traveled with Dr. Luke. Paul reached rock bottom earlier in this same epistle. Paul wasn’t ashamed to share his imperfections. Instead, he boasted in his weaknesses. Paul bragged on his suffering, but not by complaining. He gave God glory when he bragged on his thorns.
I can identify with Paul to some degree. God gets the glory when people see a blind woman overcome obstacles.
I definitely cannot cover up my blindness, but what about the not-so obvious thorns? I can mask my depression with a forced smile and an appropriate laugh, but God shines through when I remove the mask and get real.
Paul continued by saying,
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 9:10 NKJV
Paul went beyond bragging. He took pleasure in his infirmities. He boasted in persecution, and he welcomed distress. Was Paul crazy? No, he magnified God in all his struggles. You see, my friend, when Paul was weak, he put God on the big screen. Our weaknesses act as billboards for God.
Instead of sweeping our most fragile moments under the rug, let’s bring them out into the light, and give God the glory.
Heavenly Father, like Paul, we ask You to please remove our thorns, but if You refuse, we know You will surround us in grace. Help us learn from these thorns, and may You be magnified through it. Amen.
DIG DEEPER
Read 2 Corinthians 12:7-11.
HIKING THE TRAIL
Let’s get real about our thorns. When we are frail, God is strong. How can you put God on display today?
Time’s running out to get Incense Rising or Eyes of Faith for the low price of $7.99 in the SHOP
*Libanswers.nybg.org
Originally posted on September 23, 2020 @ 7:58 pm