Power made perfect in weakness

II Corinthians 12:7-9 (NLT)

To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 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. 

The phrase “thorn in the flesh” is a familiar phrase to most people, even those who know nothing about the Bible.  What Paul really meant by this term is unknown.  Various theories have been proposed.  They could have physical maladies such as partial blindness, incessant pain, malaria, migraines, epilepsy, or a speech disability, something he alludes to in II Cor 10:10.  They could have been spiritual challenges such as incessant temptation, satanic attacks, or threats from his opponents.  On a humorous note, it has been suggested that Paul was married and the thorn in his flesh was you know who.

Paul does describe his thorn in the flesh as a messenger of Satan to torment him.  We know from the story of Job that God will allow Satan to attack people with the ultimate purpose being that those attacked will fulfill God’s purposes for their lives and God will end up being glorified even more than if the attack had not occurred.   

Paul also states that there was a purpose to this problem.  First, it was to keep him humble.  Anyone with his prominence would have issues with ego and pride.  Today this is a major challenge with pastors who have enormous flocks; how can they not help but think how good they must be for so many people to be following them?  Second, the thorny problem gave God the opportunity to show His grace and power.  It is through God’s grace and power that people can continue to live their lives with their heads up even with the thorny problems in their lives, problems so serious that, like Paul, they plead with God repeatedly to remove it

It is a hard truth to comprehend and accept that God allows serious challenges and significant personal struggles to enter your life in order that His grace and power might be evidenced through you.  John MacArthur makes an interesting point that God is busy making His children weak.  Whatever makes you weak, that is what God will put into your life. 

What is the thorn(s) in your side?  You likely can list many afflictions and struggles.  How should you face these thorns?  This is what is so difficult to teach and for Christian people to learn.  You need to face your struggles by recognizing and accepting that they are present so that God can work through them in your life.  Physical, emotional, and spiritual struggles are areas of weakness in your life through which God can make you strong.  When you feel weak, when you are feeling the most helpless, that’s when God’s power prevails, that’s when you receive His strength and power to face and fight against your struggles.  This is also when you stop giving credit to yourself, and give God the credit for helping you through the struggle(s).  Yet, keep in mind that struggles will always be present and you should not expect that there will be times in your life, as a Christian, when you will have nothing troublesome facing you.  Be reassured, be strengthened by the truth of this passage that whenever you are facing difficulties, you are never alone and you will receive power to help you face and overcome those difficulties. 

Kathy Ridpath (http://chfweb.net/articles/quote020400.html) quoted a pertinent poem from Ken Gire’s book, Windows of the Soul, that might give you further food for thought and encouragement:

Help me, God,

To realize it is in being crippled that I learn to cling, and in limping that I learn to lean, that victory comes not in how courageously I struggle, but in how completely I surrender, and that this is how I am to grow, by being defeated, decisively, by constantly greater things.  Help me to understand that Your power is perfected in weakness, so that when I am rendered weak, You are given the opportunity to be shown strong.