A Thorny Problem

“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.”  II Corinthians 12:7

 

Do you have a thorn in the flesh- something that nags at you, aggravates you, impedes you and frustrates you?   Perhaps it is a person, a situation or a physical ailment.  Whatever your dilemma, we all know the feeling of having some pesky problem in our life that we cannot do anything about. 

Here the Apostle Paul is describing an area of aggravation that he was dealing with.  He attributed the problem to a need in his life to stay humble because of the revelations and visions that God was giving him.  Some people suppose it to be an eye condition, other believe it was some other physical ailment, or perhaps a tormenting demonic spirit.  Regardless of the actual culprit, there is a timeless lesson here.  The great Apostle, who penned 2/3 of the New Testament, had a problem that he could not pray away.  He had something in his life that he had to deal with on a regular basis.  It was something so horrific that he said it was “to torment him.”  Given that when he wrote passages about rejoicing in the Lord, he was standing in a jail cell rife with human excrement, if he says he was being tormented, I tend to believe him!

The first thing we must realize that although our situation hurts and we are unhappy in it, we are not alone.  People throughout the world are going through things just as bad, or worse, than we are.  We are all dealing with our own thorns.  It makes me look forward all the more to a time when we are with Jesus in heaven and will be granted ultimate relief from dealing with the mess of life.

Tomorrow we will look at how Paul dealt with his problem, but for now, just let it sink in that the fact that you are going through something does not mean that God has forgotten you or does not care.  If one of the “super apostles” who was used by God to heal others could struggle with issues, we can know that things such as this are a part of our human condition.  We do not have to feel abandoned in these situations, but rather, can cry out to God knowing that he cares just as much for us as he did Paul.

Dear Lord please help me with the thorns in the flesh that I deal with.  Please help me to trust in you and gain strength from you to stand through them.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri