Removing My Thorn
“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
What is the thorn in your side? 2 Corinthians reveals Paul’s vision and the thorn in his side. He begs God to remove it, saying, “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.”
Yet, despite his plea, God did not remove the thorn. Should He remove yours? Maybe, but it all depends. As we have discussed in the last couple days, we all have at least one Achilles heel (if not more). And this is a weak point or area in our lives that we struggle with. The examples are limitless. Our Achilles heel can come from anywhere and be anything. We also live in a world where all believers want to fix each other. All humans want to fix each other!
We want to remove all the bad and only keep the good. And while this sounds good in theory, this is exactly what Paul was asking God to do. Paul did not have the strength on his own to remove the thorn. Maybe you can relate. You know you are struggling with something, and you have tried time and time again to remove it from your life. You think “If I just try harder.” But harder doesn’t do it.
You know you need God. Maybe others know you are struggling with it and see your need to remove it. Or maybe they don’t because you have hidden it. Either way, God is the only answer. Seek God and ask Him to remove it. Maybe He will, and you can rejoice over the victory. Or maybe He won’t.
Then what? We can still rejoice! Because as 2 Corinthians tells us, His power is manifested in our weakness! God will use your weakness in ways you cannot even imagine. We always want to eliminate weakness, but God might just have a different plan for you!
What is the thorn in your side? 2 Corinthians reveals Paul’s vision and the thorn in his side. He begs God to remove it, saying, “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.”
Yet, despite his plea, God did not remove the thorn. Should He remove yours? Maybe, but it all depends. As we have discussed in the last couple days, we all have at least one Achilles heel (if not more). And this is a weak point or area in our lives that we struggle with. The examples are limitless. Our Achilles heel can come from anywhere and be anything. We also live in a world where all believers want to fix each other. All humans want to fix each other!
We want to remove all the bad and only keep the good. And while this sounds good in theory, this is exactly what Paul was asking God to do. Paul did not have the strength on his own to remove the thorn. Maybe you can relate. You know you are struggling with something, and you have tried time and time again to remove it from your life. You think “If I just try harder.” But harder doesn’t do it.
You know you need God. Maybe others know you are struggling with it and see your need to remove it. Or maybe they don’t because you have hidden it. Either way, God is the only answer. Seek God and ask Him to remove it. Maybe He will, and you can rejoice over the victory. Or maybe He won’t.
Then what? We can still rejoice! Because as 2 Corinthians tells us, His power is manifested in our weakness! God will use your weakness in ways you cannot even imagine. We always want to eliminate weakness, but God might just have a different plan for you!
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