The Dark Moments of Our Life Part Two

 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

When trouble comes, do you tend to doubt God’s mercy?  Or do you thank Him for His faithfulness during the heart-wrenching time?  I know at times in my life, I have done both.  I know there have been troubles that I have faced where I asked, “Where are you God?”  After that same trouble though passed, I saw God’s hand and I thanked Him for His faithfulness.  The sad thing is, I should have recognized His faithfulness and intervention in the very beginning.  Adversity will reveal to us where we stand in our faith.  It will reveal how much we are willing to endure for God.  We never know how much difficulty we can withstand until we are tried.

Right now-remember this:  God has put a limit on all adversity.  Why?  Because we are His children, the Holy Spirit is living inside of us, and He knows how much we can bear.  The psalmist said, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19), and, “As a father pities his children, so the LORD pities those who fear Him.  For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust” (103:13-14)

Many times, what we will discover is that our ability to handle adversity is greater than we first thought.  We find that we are stronger and more resilient than we imagined.  We are able to not only survive difficult circumstances but also thrive in the midst of them.  When we learn and mature in the midst of trials, God is pleased because He sees His purpose being fulfilled in us.  We are growing spiritually and increasingly being conformed to the likeness of Christ.  God is thrilled when we respond wisely to adversity.

Adversity in our life will always bring out the things that God wants to be brought out.  In today’s Scripture, Paul begins it with what he realized was the ultimate purpose for his “thorn in the flesh.”  It humbled him.  Paul was doing amazing things for the kingdom of God and his “fame” quickly spread not only in Israel, but to the whole known world.  His name was being spoken in the courts of Rome!  Paul knew that God wanted to be glorified above all and that the name of Jesus is what was important.  As Paul stated, “a thorn in the flesh” was given to him in order to keep him humble. Many theologians have debated what this “thorn in the flesh” was.  Some theorize it could have been trouble with eyesight due to Paul’s latter mentionings.  Some theorized it actually was a demon who gave Paul trouble. This author has an interpretation which isn’t popular, but one that could have been.  I believe Paul may have been a victim of a STD.  My reasoning ties with some other theories.  However, it is based on this.  Paul’s terminology that he used here.  Thorns were figurative in Scripture.  Thorns first appeared as a consequence to man’s sin.  Therefore, many times, thorns have represented the consequence of sin.  The thorns that choke ill planted seed, the crown of thorns on Christ’s head represented that the consequence of our sins were upon His head, and I believe that Paul’s thorn was a consequence of a previous sin before He was converted on the Damascus road.  Paul also uses, “in the flesh.”  In many of Paul’s writings, Paul uses this term especially when he talks about sexual immorality and fornication.  If we tie the two together, “the consequence of a sexually immoral act.”  It would also fit to things such as the possible loss of eyesight, strength, etc as we know that many sexually transmitted diseases can cause such side effects.  Also, remember that this thorn kept Paul humble.  What more humbling thing could be in a man’s life?  Again, this is just a theory.  

The reality is that adversity is brought into our lives many times to keep us humble and to seek God.  If you are going through a tough time in life right now, maybe ask, “What is God trying to teach me through this?”  When you ask yourself, then remember to smile, because God loves you so much, He is making sure He is paying attention to your very life!