2 Corinthians 12:1-10
Paul's Vision and His Thorn
1I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. 2I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. 3And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— 4was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell. 5I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. 6Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say.
7To 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. 8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But 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. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
St. Paul is a great writer and teacher...He had a problem with pain and suffered...He called his pain a thorn in his flesh...Thorns are a symbol for suffering...Three times he prayed and pleaded with the LORD to take his thorn away...God did not take away his thorn...God told Paul that His grace is sufficient...God's glory was made perfect in Paul's thorn...
It is possible we are given thorns by God...It is possible that in our life, it is our fate that will bring us some thorns...Our thorns might be to instill in our souls that God is here...He is in charge...His will- will be done and not ours...If we go through life and never have a thorn and we have a few or many successes, we might (without our thorns), drift away from His grace...If our lives we without any problems of pain would we seek Him?...Would we be near Him?...Would we need faith?...Our thorns keep us grounded in Him...
Without thorns we lose sight of God's grace...His glory is Almighty and above our suffering and our understanding...Our thorns help show His power...His power is made perfect in our weaknesses...This involves trust...This also involves faith...We must hope in the LORD...God's grace is sufficient...