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Dale

Dale
One of my favorite verses when I've been dealing with things in my life over the years has been 2 Corinthians 12:9: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Here is a devotional I would like to share related to this scripture:

A Thorn in the Flesh
SCRIPTURE READING — 2 CORINTHIANS 12:1-10
He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

— 2 Corinthians 12:9

The apostle Paul was dedicated to God. But Paul had a “thorn in the flesh”—possibly a disease that bothered him quite a lot. He called it “a messenger of Satan, to torment” him. We don’t know what it was, but somehow it made Paul weaker than he wanted to be.

Thorns prick, scratch, and wound. However, the point of Paul’s example is that because of his thorn in the flesh, God was able to work through him more powerfully.

Although Paul pleaded three times with the Lord to take his thorn away, the Lord responded, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Paul notes that he was given his thorn “in order to keep . . . from becoming conceited.” This means Paul knew that if he did not have this thorn, he could have become proud. So Paul is teaching us that his thorn in the flesh was actually a good thing. It was a sign of God’s grace to keep him from becoming a proud leader in the church. And we can surely thank God for that.

This does not mean we should ask God to give us a thorn in the flesh. We can trust that God knows what is best for us. But if God does allow us to have a particular kind of suffering, we can also trust that he can use it to do good. As Paul writes in another place, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Prayer:
Lord and God, work in us and through us, that your power and goodness in our lives may be clear to others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

— Jang Ho Park
Jang Ho Park is a pastor in Tacoma, Washington.
https://todaydevotional.com/devotions/a-thorn-in-the-flesh

To me this story about Paul is very relatable with our condition. We all need to be reminded from time to time to rely and depend on God and not on our own self. We just need to remember to rely on God more because his Grace is sufficient, and we should remind ourselves of that fact daily.

Dear Lord, I pray for healing for everyone suffering with a thorn in the flesh. And remind all of us that you are sufficient for us. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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