THORN TO THRONE
II Corinthians 12:7-10 "To 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.
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.
But 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. 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."
I have seen a number of people recently who are
dealing with thorns. What do these thorns look like? They can
be in the form of a physical ailment that just won't heal, a
situation at work that doesn't seem to be improving, or a relationship
that is in question. They could be financial hardships that
continue to linger, or a special program or project that has
involved all kinds of time and commitments that is not developing
as successfully as hoped. These are just a few examples of the
wide variety of thorns.
The apostle Paul had thorns. From the above passage,
we can see that these thorns don't come from God, but from Satan.
They are used to deter the work of God. They remind us of the
need to pray continually, and rely on God's strength rather
than our own. They keep us humble and remind us that we are
totally dependent on God's mercy, and that we cannot do good
on our own. The frustration of the thorn makes us realize that
we are sinners in need of a Savior. And God takes the thorn,
intended by evil to wreck the work of God, and turns it into
good. We realize through these thorns that God's grace is truly
sufficient. As frustrating as the thorn is, it does not win.
As painful as the thorns were on Christ's head, they could not
kill. Christ went from thorn to throne, and carries us with
him in grace.
This grace is sufficient for us. It helps keep
things in perspective. The next time you get down and discouraged
from the thorns of life that seem to continually plague you
and won't go away, remember sufficient grace. Believers are
already going to heaven, and the thorns can't take that away.
William Hiskey
Director of Youth Ministries, First English Lutheran,
Spencer IA
Updated: 8-13-2002
|
