I have hidden Thy word in my heart.
(Picture by Lisa R)
2 Corinthians 12. “…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. 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.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 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” (Verses 7-10). Ever go through the same trial over, and over, and over again? Ever pleaded to God, “Please take this away”? Ever cried out, “Why does this keep happening?” The human perspective sees this in one of two ways: 1. God doesn’t care about me, I am not good enough. 2. God doesn’t exist. But the spiritual eyes have completely different views: “God is teaching me perseverance.” “My trials serve as a conduit for growth and strength, God wastes nothing.” How do you view your trial? Do you see it as God picking on you? Or do you see it as God picking you up? Instead of complaining about the unfairness of life, say this instead: “God, Your grace is sufficient for me”. Why? Because it is.
I love your post. BTW, my random (and hopefully inspired) thought on the thorn –Thorn in the flesh—what did Paul mean?
We know it did not mean an illness.
Several times in the OT the idiom “thorn in the flesh” is used. Every single time, without exception, it means ungodly people causing problems to godly people. The Apostle Paul memorized much, if not all of the OT, so he would use this idiom the same as it was used in the Scripture. He had the highest respect for the Old Testament Scripture, as did scribes in those days.
So why do some Bible scholars have such a hard time understanding this idiom (and other idioms)? Well, many Bible scholars have never lived overseas and spoken any ancient language. Learning NT Greek from books only, without speaking it and living in a country that speaks modern Greek is very similar to a boxer learning to box from a book without actually putting on boxing gloves.
I am not a bible teacher or scholar, I don’t know what Paul meant literally. But I do agree that ungodly people can get in the way of our walk with Christ. But I also believe that if God chose to literally give Paul a thorn in the flesh to keep him humble, it would be the best thing for Paul (even if he didn’t think so 🙂 ). Thanks for the insight and a different perspective of this passage. Blessings