Thorn in the Flesh
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12 v 7-9:
"And lest I should be exalted beyond measure by 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. For
this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And He
said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect
in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that
the power of Christ may rest upon me."
An apostle of Jesus Christ is given great responsibility
as an overseer of God's people. In order to have that kind of authority he or
she would need to be given many revelations, visions, gifts of the Holy Spirit
at enhanced levels, and the wisdom to correctly understand how it all flows
together.
It is not a self- or even Church-appointed ministry, only
God through the Holy Spirit calls an apostle into this exalted ministry. It is
a position that can easily lead to spiritual pride and harsh arrogance which
would destroy the fruits of the Holy Spirit, instead of seeing them flourish.
For this reason, a messenger of Satan, a thorn that
troubles the flesh, was sent to Paul to continually remind him to remain humble
and allow Jesus to always be in full control and always get the glory for every
miracle, healing, revelation, or victory.
I believe Paul suffered from weak eyesight after he became blind on the
road to Damascus. Ananias was sent to heal him and he could see but the Lord
kept perfect eyesight back from him as a reminder.
Jesus' powerful words "My grace is sufficient"
seal the experience in glory rather than disappointment. He goes on to say
"My strength is made perfect in weakness" meaning when we are weak in
the flesh then His strength is added spiritually to us and He can accomplish far
more than if we were operating at our full strength.
At every example we, at our very strongest, can never
equal Jesus even at His weakest, even as He was dying He performed the greatest
miracle this world has seen. He conquered sin, satan, demons and set mankind
free. Even death could not hold Him as He arose from the dead and raised all of
us too within Himself to make us a new creation.
Now, in His resurrected glory, we can but worship Him and
yield to His authority and to the will of the Father. As Paul said at the end of his life
"that I might know Him and the power of His resurrection". There was a power unleashed at that moment
that has continued to explode in those who recognise that the depths of our
commitment and obedience are much more important than anything this world can
offer.
Paul gloried in his thorn in the flesh knowing that in
his weakness the power of Jesus came upon him. When you experience this you are
grateful because Jesus does so much more than we could ever imagine. He not
only fixes the present and immediate problem but He restores the years the
locusts have eaten. He restores things back to before you first started
experiencing pain and sorrow.
So if you are in a deep and serious ministry with the
Lord, don't be surprised if a messenger of Satan is sent to buffet you. Jacob
wrestled with God and was left with a limp through a dislocated hip; Paul had
weak eyes but spiritually was a visionary who still blesses us today. No matter what your particular affliction His
grace is always sufficient.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, You need humble, yielded,
obedient people to allow Your glory to be manifested to the world. The world is
full of pride, arrogance and contempt that is amazed at humility, meekness and
grace so its important that Your children display Your nature to stir
long-forgotten memories in them. In Jesus' name. Amen.