A Thorn In The Flesh

Good morning and welcome to Our Daily Walk.

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Paul had a problem. What it was, no one knows for sure. But it was a problem.

Some have speculated that Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” may have been temper, fleshly desires, epilepsy, a sharp tongue or even depression. But the majority of guesses rest with the outcome of a problem with his eyes.

Of course, it was on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-9) that Paul, then known as Saul, was blinded by the light and fell to the ground. Three days later he regained his sight. Very possibly his eyesight suffered because of this ordeal.

The Christians in the region of Galatia were acquainted with Paul’s problem. He mentions his physical infirmity in Galatians 4:13-15 and states that the brethren there were accepting of him. They did not reject or despise Paul because of this problem.

In fact, they would have given their eyes for Paul. And Paul writes in Galatians 6:11 that he is writing to them in large letters. So, perhaps poor eyesight was his problem. Listen to his account in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, of how Paul handles rejection from the Lord.

“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. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 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. 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.”

Some Christians may complain, become frustrated or even give up when their prayers are not answered. Certainly we should know that not every prayer will be answered according to our wishes. But still, we need encouragement to keep doing the right thing. Let’s take a look at three quick points from Paul’s experience.

First, we should do right on matter what. We might be tempted to shut God out when we don’t receive the answer we expected. There will always be work to do somewhere. And even though we may suffer some problems, physically or otherwise, we can still be used in the service of our Lord.

After all, Moses had a speech problem, Noah got drunk, Abraham lied, David had a man killed and took his wife. The Bible is full of examples of people who overcame personal failures, character flaws and physical problems and rose up to serve God.

Second, we should also do right to show that the power is in God and God’s word and not in man. The cause of Christ does not depend on the strength of any man, even Paul, but is advanced through our weaknesses. We are vessels for His service. He can use us for good with our weaknesses as well as with our strengths.

Third, we should also do right even when God says, “no” to our requests. In three attempts Paul asked that this thorn in the flesh be taken away. Obviously, Paul felt that the absence of this problem would help him to perform his duties better for the Lord. Logic, human logic that is, would say that the Lord would be doing Himself a favor by allowing His servant to be free from some malady.

But the answer was still, “no.” Paul pushed on. He didn’t give up. He didn’t take away from God. He pressed on despite the thorn. In Philippians 3:13-14, Paul says, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Some people will always be full of excuses of why they can’t do this or that. Paul’s example should show us that despite our shortcomings or inadequacies, we should and must place ourselves into the service of our Lord to do all that we can for His glory.

On Our Daily Walk today, may we readily acknowledge our flaws and failures and may we do all that we can to overcome them. But may we also never allow our “thorns in the flesh” to become a stumbling block for our work in the Lord’s church.

Our thought for the day: “Kites rise highest against the wind—not with it.” Sir Winston Churchill.

May God bless you on your daily walk.

© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.