Thank You Lord, For The Thorns That Hurt Us

I've spent much time in thought and silent prayer, organizing in my mind and soul on how this message should be presented. I wanted to be certain that what I was about to say would be based primarily upon the Word of God and not merely a repeat of topics that I have covered in previous posts. I want to focus on the Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, and less rehash of personal rants, complaints, and my inner desires to witness fire from heaven come down and consume the enemies of God as I see them. I'm not getting soft nor desire to surrender to the forces of those who promote a "Six Flags over Jesus" type of Christianity. I will always stand for the integrity and truth of the Word of God and salvation exclusively through the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. What I want to present in this message is a personal journey on how the Sovereign LORD has used times of troubles and dark times in my life to show me the preciousness of Who He is and that what has occurred can be compared to the pain of a thorn and the lessons it teaches, and I want to use the example of Paul and his times of travail. I am in no way comparing myself, nor should you, to this giant of the faith as far as his wondrous accomplishments go, but Paul, like all of Christ's good soldiers, had his rough times and what the Scriptures say about times such as these are for our encouragement, maturity in the faith, and focus on the big picture: Jesus is returning soon, and everything we have endured for His sake will be worth it as we have all eternity to spend with Him and our brethren, so hang on and let's proceed.

In 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, the Apostle Paul is writing about his vision of being in the "third heaven", seeing things that he was not allowed to discuss or present to anyone. This was right after he had described the hardships he had endured for the sake of the Gospel (2 Corinthians 11:23-33), and the call that the Lord Jesus had placed on him (Acts 9:1-6, 15,16). Notice that when the Lord Jesus informed Ananias that he was to seek out Paul and pray over him, He also told him that Paul would "suffer many things for My name's sake". In reading both Acts and the letters to the churches he wrote, the promise of Jesus that Paul would indeed suffer came to pass, probably more than what he expected. He wrote about his weariness and despair (2 Corinthians 1:8), and his struggles of the flesh (Romans 7:18-25). He blew up at his faithful ministry companion Barnabas over reinstating John Mark in their missionary journeys, so much so that they separated, but later reconciled (Acts 15:36-41; 2 Timothy 4:11).

Paul, like everyone else in the Bible, was a flesh and blood fallible individual (James 5:17). I want to turn our attention specifically to a problem that irritated this great lion of God so much that he asked the LORD three times to remove it. That problem was his "thorn in the flesh" (2 Corinthians 12:7-8) His request for relief was probably grounded in the idea that enough was enough. He had gone through rough times and hardships that none of us could even imagine, and even the best of God's saints will ask for some relief from heaven every so often. He had years of adventures and difficulties in presenting the Gospel message to his fellow Jews and the Gentiles who made up the vast Roman Empire. He was both admired and despised. One particular act of hatred resulted in being pummeled with stones to the point where his friends thought he was dead (Acts 14:19-20). Paul surprised everyone by getting up and heading right back into the city of Lystra where the stoning had taken place. You have to admit that this is the act of one "tough old bird" who would not injuries prevent him from preaching the Gospel (1 Corinthians 9:16). Bible scholars believe that this was when Paul received his heavenly vision. The glory of heaven awaited him, and he knew that the troubles he had undergone were worth it in terms of the reward and honor His Savior would give him (2 Timothy 4:6-8). That would come later, but first, the thorns. Why?

Let's put this into perspective in terms of his effectiveness for the LORD'S service and not on what would be an obvious point of discussion in the present day "evangelical" world, that of the numerous "trips to heaven" made by so-called modern day "anointed of God" individuals who wax eloquent about what they allegedly witnessed and experienced in the portals of glory. I'll get to this issue momentarily, but what I want to focus on for now is that God in His wisdom used the thorn, whatever it was, as an object lesson for Paul, and everyone who truly follows the Lord Jesus. He chooses at times to place thorns of adversity in our lives in order that we keep focused on Him and not on ourselves. In my journey with the LORD, the thorns He has placed in my life over the years have directed me to the following truths as it relates to both His Sovereignty and holiness.