Thorn in the Flesh

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

2 Corinthians 12:7 KJV

What is a thorn in the flesh? A thorn is something or someone that painfully nags or irritates your physical disposition continuously. Although Apostle Paul's writing fails to specify his thorn in the flesh, he revealed something unexpectedly. He unfolds the spectacular outcome of this thorn in the flesh that is prevalent for today's believers. First, this thorn in the flesh was painful because thorns don't bring comfort but dreadful and excruciating pain. Second, God was the ultimate source of this thorn in the flesh, and Satan was only the delivery source. Remember the experience of Job and how God allowed Satan to inflict the awful series of events that Job encountered. Therefore, God allowed this thorn in the flesh to develop for a specific outcome for Paul. So, I wanted to analyze the Scriptures surrounding this thorn in the flesh and identify some nuggets that we can use today.

God provided Apostle Paul with a unique opportunity that enabled him to obtain an abundance of revelations. He even described this experience as "caught up to the third heaven." From this experience, he explained that he heard unspeakable words. Because of these revelations, Paul believed that the thorn in the flesh was for the sole reason of humbleness. God foresaw the value of keeping Paul humble while removing any level of self-sufficiency. When one relies on oneself, he becomes stubborn and prideful, making him less useful for Kingdom work. He begins to follow his agenda instead of God's agenda. Yet, a humble individual will continue to depend on his source, which is God. So when God gives you a thorn in the flesh, it is for your good because He loves you too much to provide you with something evil. Mainly, a self-sufficient person stands in the way of an all-sufficient God. God wants to use you instead of you using God to get what you want.

Thorn in the Flesh

I besought the Lord thrice for this thing that it might depart from me (vs. 8). Notice that Paul failed to rebuke Satan as the source of the thorn in the flesh because Satan was only the messenger. He knew that his sovereign God permitted Satan's action. So he pleaded repeatedly with God to remove this thorn in the flesh. Later, God answered his prayer with an unexpected answer. My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness (vs. 9). I realize from these two verses that pain or discouragement leads to prayer afterward; you must exercise courage to accept God's answer. God failed to alleviate the thorn in the flesh, but He provided divine grace or a cushion to meet Paul's needs while enduring this thorn. This divine grace continues to multiply in the form of excruciating pain and it remains a physical reminder of his inability to achieve self-sufficiency. Therefore, no matter how painful Paul's thorn became, God promised that His grace was more than enough as reflected with this statement: Most gladly, therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me (vs. 9). Here, Paul gets another revelation by having this thorn in the flesh. This thorn served as his infirmity, failure, or weakness which became a spiritually asset. This asset enabled him to acquire a fresh manifestation of God's presence and power.

At times, I have a gout flair up in my joints. This pain becomes so unbearable that I have trouble walking. To relieve this pain, I take a prescription drug known as Indomethacin. When this drug enters my body system, my pain subsides. In other words, my weakness drives me to a prescription, and this drug begins to demonstrate its power over the pain. So likewise, the weaknesses, failures, and infirmities in our lives that God allows will lead to opportunities of seeking His sufficient grace and experiencing His perfect power while removing the tendency to become self-sufficient. Notice that Paul never complains about his weaknesses, but he boasts about them. So I encourage you to replace I in this verse with your name and begin bragging about your weakness.

Therefore I (Mickey) take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I (Mickey) am (is) weak, then am (is) I (Mickey) strong.

2 Corinthians 12:10

I take pleasure in my weakness, because it keeps me grounded in my source which is God.