The Thorns of Life - Christ’s Commission Fellowship

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

New International Version (NIV)

7 or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

The Thorns of Life - Christ’s Commission Fellowship

Pursue Intimacy With God Series
Speaker: Peter Tan-chi 

As we walk with the Lord, we will encounter obstacles. The apostle Paul was no exception. He, too, experienced pain and suffering in what he described as a thorn in his flesh (2 Cor 12:7).

Thorns reveal the level of our intimacy with God. At the same time, thorns are also means of intimacy. Trials are part of human experience, and there are two possible responses when we are faced with pain and trials: either we become bitter and drift farther away from God or we become better by drawing nearer to Him. We must learn how to handle the thorns of life.

The apostle Paul considered his thorn a blessing. The Bible does not exactly say what Paul was suffering from. He might have had a physical ailment, which caused him a great deal of discomfort (Gal 4:13-14). On the other hand, his thorn might have been people who caused him distress (Phil 1:17). Whatever it is, there is one thing we can be sure of: Paul knew that God was using this thorn to keep him from being proud (2 Cor 12:7).

Intimacy with God develops in us an eternal perspective on circumstances. 

We recognize that there are no accidents in the life 

of God’s people—

that things happen for a purpose—and that God’s 

ultimate purpose for us His children is Christ-

likeness.

Paul was honest enough to turn to God and plead with Him three times to take his pain away (2 Cor 12:8). Distress and suffering remind us that we are not in control. But the question is: whom do we run to? Only through a closer fellowship with the Lord can we make sense of our experiences and enjoy His peace despite all trouble. In fact, anything that will make us draw closer to God is a blessing.

However, God did not answer Paul’s prayer the way he would have wanted it. God’s reply to Paul was a ‘NO’ and He offered no explanation. But He gave him the promise of His grace: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” (2 Cor 12:9)

God’s children do not live by explanation but by faith. Indeed, it was enough for Paul to know that God’s grace was more than enough for him to do everything that God asks him to do. Through his thorn, Paul was constantly reminded that he needed to depend on God for strength. When we allow God to use our weaknesses, He is glorified.

What are the thorns in your life? Are you wasting your time and energy fighting off these thorns? The truth is, there are thorns that will stay in your life forever no matter how hard you try to get rid of them. But the key here is surrender. Embrace the thorns in your life wholeheartedly and thank God for them, trusting that God is sovereign and good.

Thorns are opportunities to be intimate with God and to glorify Him. Our weaknesses can be our strength provided that we surrender them to God. God is inviting you to offer your weaknesses to Him in exchange of His power. May the way we handle the thorns in our life ultimately bring glory to His name.