Have you ever touched a cactus and realized you shouldn’t have done that because now you have a thorn in your finger? Or maybe you’ve walked through the grass without shoes and stepped in a bed of “stickers” as we call them? Neither of these are pleasant and we certainly don’t enjoy them.
In today’s passage, Paul talks about a “thorn in his flesh”. I wonder how he got his thorn? The Bible doesn’t tell us what exactly Paul is talking about, but we know that he had something in his life he really wished he didn’t have. It wasn’t an actual thorn, but he uses this illustration to help us understand he had something in his life that he struggled with, and it made him weak. He did not want this weakness in his life.
Paul tells us that he asked God three times to take this “thorn” away from him. God chose not to grant Paul’s request. God used Paul’s struggle to teach him that in his weakness God would give him the strength and power he needed to continue in God's work for him.
Do you have something in your life you wish you could change? Or is there something you constantly struggle with that you want God to remove from your life? We can ask God to help us trust Him as Paul did. Ask God to help you believe that His grace is enough for you and that His power is made perfect in your weakness.
Prayer: Lord, thank You that Your grace is always enough for any difficulty we may face. Help us to remember that when we feel weak in any area of our life, we can trust You to make us strong in our weakness. In Jesus’ name. Amen.