•Thursday, May 17, 2012
“So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh… Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ …For when I am weak, then I am strong.” II Corinthians 12:7b-10 NLT
Paul begged three times to be released from the Thorn in the Flesh Humility Program and God said no. Sometimes I, too, war against the weakness in myself. But perhaps God has a plan in this, too. We all need to be reminded of our insufficiency.
On our own, we are only capable of so much. Through God’s power, however, all things are possible. Our thorn in the flesh reminds us to rely on God’s strength, and not our own.
It’s interesting that God’s answer to Paul’s request was that his power works best in weakness. As if our weakness is really a strength that hasn’t been channeled into if we are just trying to deal with it, ignore it, or rail against it. What if, instead of spending so much energy protesting, I surrendered myself to God’s use? My headaches and distractibility may limit me, but perhaps in my weakness, God’s strength can be revealed.
Some think Paul’s thorn was his failing eyesight. It was something beyond his own ability to correct and outside of God’s will to change. If it had been a form of sin or a character flaw, God would have gladly removed it. This thorn was something that was at work to enhance Paul’s character by humbling him into reliance on God’s grace.
If Bethany Hamilton hadn’t lost her arm to a shark attack, she would have been just another surfer. Whatever your thorn may be, let it remind you that God can channel his strength through you.
Paul begged three times to be released from the Thorn in the Flesh Humility Program and God said no. Sometimes I, too, war against the weakness in myself. But perhaps God has a plan in this, too. We all need to be reminded of our insufficiency.
On our own, we are only capable of so much. Through God’s power, however, all things are possible. Our thorn in the flesh reminds us to rely on God’s strength, and not our own.
It’s interesting that God’s answer to Paul’s request was that his power works best in weakness. As if our weakness is really a strength that hasn’t been channeled into if we are just trying to deal with it, ignore it, or rail against it. What if, instead of spending so much energy protesting, I surrendered myself to God’s use? My headaches and distractibility may limit me, but perhaps in my weakness, God’s strength can be revealed.
Some think Paul’s thorn was his failing eyesight. It was something beyond his own ability to correct and outside of God’s will to change. If it had been a form of sin or a character flaw, God would have gladly removed it. This thorn was something that was at work to enhance Paul’s character by humbling him into reliance on God’s grace.
If Bethany Hamilton hadn’t lost her arm to a shark attack, she would have been just another surfer. Whatever your thorn may be, let it remind you that God can channel his strength through you.
