Yesterday we saw Jesus say pain and difficulty will be a common occurrence in Paul’s life. Today, let’s
look at an example. This is commonly known as Paul’s thorn in the flesh. We don’t know all the details,
but what we do know is that this was some kind of physical condition (likely something with his eyesight)
that Paul dealt with for the rest of his life.
First, it is great that Paul is a lot like us! Pain comes into his life, he asks God to take it away. Just like we
would. But what do you do when it doesn’t go away? The three times Paul says he prayed for the thorn
to go away, were not quick prayers. These would have been agonizing times of pleading with God to
take this away. It is right to do that for yourself and for other people. But sometimes, God doesn’t take
it away. God says his power is seen most clearly when we are the weakest. It leads Paul to boast in what
makes him look weak to others.
Think about how this plays out for a second. Has there ever been a time when pain or hard times caused
you to go to God like you never had before. Suddenly it was clear how weak you were and how much
you needed God. That is power perfected in weakness. Pain has countless purposes. One of them is so
that we would lean into God’s power and strength like never before. When have you experienced this in
your life? How could hard times actually strengthen our faith instead of damage it?
