“because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me” - 11 Cor 12:7 (NIV)
One might like to wonder why the thorn Apostle Paul suffered here. A glimpse in his life quickly reveals that he was no ordinary person in the Lord’s kingdom. It was Paul who rebuked the girl with a demon who kept following him and Barnabas, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” And the spirit left her at that very moment” (Acts 16:18). Paul survived shipwrecks and had incredible revelations in his life. If you needed to see a General in the Lord’s army, here was one.
But General as he was he had this thorn in his life which in spite of all his prayers would not go away. While many have speculated what this thorn was as he never went into specifics there is no doubt it was some pain. “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me” (vv 8). It still persisted.
Virtually every follower of Christ suffers some thorn, much like Paul. It could be a physical ailment or a certain limitation in life that keeps one down at a certain level. The thorn in flesh may be constant persecutions in the market place or the loss of something precious and treasured in one’s life. Thorns can be repeated denials to achieve a great desire in spite of all efforts. There is nothing there to smile about a thorn. A thorn sucks.
But if we may look at the life of Paul actually that thorn in our life is for a reason. It is to bring us closer to the Lord, by absolutely depending on Him. Look at it this way: the one without a thorn starts boasting in his greatness and ultimately finds no need for God in his life. But you with the thorn know how much you need God in your life for His grace to sustain and carry you through. As Paul later notes: “ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (vv 9). Much as he hated this thorn, he grew to be thankful for it, having found a reason for it.
So, friend, learn to delight in whatever thorn you may find in your life, like Paul: : “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That 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” ( 11 Corinthians 12:9-10).
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, where I find a thorn in my life, as such, may I never lose hope in you, for your grace is sufficient to sustain and draw me closer to you.
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24/04/2024 - 25/04/2024 All day“May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed” (Psalm 20:4)
Premier Joseph and King David have a particular common characteristics: two individuals who were blessed with success, in their work. When Joseph was taken into the household of Potiphar, “The LORD was with Joseph so that he prospered...When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant” ( Gen 39:2-4).
Even when he was imprisoned later, on false accusations, “The LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there” (vv 21-22). Later in his life he is made second in command of Egypt by Pharaoh. “You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you” (Genesis 41:40).
For David, after he disposed off Goliath, “Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful that Saul gave him a high rank in the army” (1 Samuel 18:5). His success on the battle field would soon cause trouble for him when the troops started singing, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands” (vv 7).
In spite of Saul’s anger at the comparison and even trying to kill him, for David “in everything he did he had great success, because the LORD was with him. When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns” (vv 14-16). Eventually, the throne would pass on to David.
Success in life is one of the blessings the Lord has marked out for believers. These individuals were successful because the Lord was with them. The only one who does not wish to see success of us, is the enemy Satan, who comes to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10). May we pray that our lives are characterized with the anointing of success, because the Lord is with us!
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, today I pray that I bask in your success, in all that I do, because as was with your servants Joseph, David, Daniel and others, you are with me, and this I pray in Jesus’ name.
