We don't always know the reason for our trials, but God revealed to Paul the reason for his "thorn in the flesh." It was to keep him from being "exalted' (See 2ndCorintihians 12:7). Success can be intoxicating, and intoxicated people aren't known for being too bright or trustworthy.
What happens when you get a thorn in your flesh? It hurts. And you'll let everything else go while you focus on removing it. Three times Paul prayed for God to remove the thorn, but God had another plan. You see, God is at His strongest in us when we are at our weakest. When Paul discovered that God's power in his life was tied to the thorn that afflicted him, he responded, " I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities....For whenever I am weak, then I am strong" (2nd Corinthians 12:10). In other words, "If it's for my good, bring it on Lord!" If you have a thorny person in your life from whom you've prayed to be delivered and it hasn't happened, maybe God whats you to experience His grace and power through dealing with that person. But you won't experience this until until you move from pain to praise. The Bible speaks about "the sacrifice of praise to God" (Hebrews 13:15) . A sacrifice of praise means that something has to die on somebody's altar. So if you want to experience Gods' grace and power in your life, you must be willing to die to self-interest, ego and independence. There's nothing wrong with asking God to remove your thorn. But when your prayer for deliverance turns to praise, you're on your way to power, because God is giving you grace.
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Wow, what an inspired post. Yes, all Christians have their own thorn in the flesh one way or the other. We just have to trust God that the thorn is for our own good and He will take it away in His own time or when it has already achieved its own purpose. Thanks for the enlightened post. God bless you always.
"There's nothing wrong with asking God to remove your thorn. But when your prayer for deliverance turns to praise, you're on your way to power, because God is giving you grace."
Well said! Very well said!
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