A "thorn" in my flesh...

2 Corinthians 12:7-10, “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.’ 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.”

We all have received some kind of “thorn” in our flesh during our lifetime that have prevented us from doing something. In this passage, I believe the Apostle Paul may be talking about some type of physical ailment that he was experiencing at the time. It was obviously a hindrance to his ministry that kept him from working. Paul prayed to God three times to take the pain away from him, but God simply didn’t. Whatever the thorn Paul was experiencing made it difficult for Paul because he was the kind of person who is able to achieve things with a purpose and get things done. During this experience, I’m sure he felt frustrated and helpless. Paul was reminded that he needed to trust and depend in God so much more and to remain humble. He realized that he was becoming stronger through his weakness.

In the past couple of weeks I’ve been experiencing a type of “thorn” in my flesh. It started about two and a half weeks ago when my lower back pain was bothering me. I’ve had very light low back pain in the past that would go away in a few days, however, this time it felt different. It became progressively worse. There are many factors that may have triggered it. Regardless of what was happening, the Lord spoke to my heart about Paul’s thorn and prompted me to understand what that means. This painful experience with my lower back really convicted my heart about pride. I have always had the mentality that if I took good care of myself that everything would be fine and that I wouldn’t need to depend on anyone or anything. The past couple days the pain was unbearable and it got to the point where I really had very low mobility and range of motion. I was literally crawling around in my apartment. I couldn’t bend, twist, or move in any way. I finally gave up and text a friend of mine for help. Like Paul, I prayed and prayed to God to remove the pain away from me because I didn’t want to deal with doctors or medicine. Somehow this made me feel imperfect if I “gave in.” God didn’t remove the pain, but he taught me that I needed to recognize my own limitations. I cannot do everything on my own and that there are people who can help me, even doctors! I do not like doctors at all and I do not like medicine, but I had to suck down my own pride. I realized that I needed God’s help even if it’s through doctors.

I have to admit, I like being able achieve things on my own and it was hard to confess that I had a physical weakness. I’m sure Paul felt the same way. He felt the frustration of not being able to do anything. I felt that. Through this experience, I realized that my weakness has helped me develop my character and deepens my relationship with the One who has full control and holds things together – the Lord, Jesus Christ. Life is full of obstacles, hindrances, and setbacks and when they do occur, we must depend on only God. God will give us the strength that we need (Philippians 4:13). We are much stronger when we allow God to have full control than when we are alone. My back pain has not fully gone away. I feel like I’ve been humbled by this experience because it has cause me to re-think about some things. It’s not about what I can do or plan to do because ultimately it can fail. That is why God says to me that His grace is sufficient and His power is made perfect in my weakness. During this time of my weakness, I am turning to God a lot more. I’m not asking “Why?” but rather, I’m asking “What are you trying to say to me?” I believe God has a message to teach me and I don’t fully get it right now, but if I continue to earnestly seek Him, I will come to an understanding.

As I close today, I encourage you to stay positive whatever your circumstance may be. Rather than asking God “Why?” is this happening to me, ask God “What can I learn from this experience?” The man Job (read the book of Job in the Bible if you don't know the story) did not do anything to lose all his wealth, health, & possessions because he did something wrong. God simply allowed this to happen to test his faith in Him. This may be a time of testing for you and me. Hang in there and we will make it through! God Bless you!