The Thorns In Our Life

     The apostle, Paul, writes about a “thorn in his side.” There have been various thoughts and guesses on the identity of the thorn. We know he prayed three times for it to be removed. Some believe it was something to do with his eyes. He says one group of his friends would have been willing to give him their own eyes and sometime, in a later epistle, he says he wrote with his own large handwriting.

     It could be his eyes. It could be another health issue. It could be a person. We simply don’t know and maybe we are not meant to know. What we do know is that the thorn drew him closer to Jesus. He relied on His strength and we can do the same. We all have thorns that plague us throughout life. And when we are weak, God is strong. We can shine with His strength.

Here are Paul’s words.

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. 2 Corinthians 12:8-9

     Unfortunately, it often takes a crisis to bring us closer to God. Our suffering forces us to ask the big questions. Is there a God? Where is He? And, of course, He is right there. Can we boast in our weaknesses? We can. Without the eye disease I live with on a daily basis, I don’t know if I would have given the time to God that I have been blessed to do over the last twenty-five years. And I count it all joy.

     How about you? Has suffering brought you to your knees? Has God guided you through a tough time, into a stronger faith? Does your thorn or weakness bring you closer to Him? To rely on Him more? His ways are beyond our comprehension. But He is enough. His grace is sufficient.

Lord,

Yes, we can thank You for our suffering, the times that draw us closer to You, the testimonies that come from Your ways. May our weaknesses shine with Your strength, to bring joy in the midst of it all.

In Jesus name,

Amen