One of the greatest issues many people have is related to God and suffering. Many accuse God of allowing bad things to happen to good people. Even many Christians have a hard time grappling with this issue. Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthian Christians because suffering was a big issue. These brethren had a hard time understanding why a true apostle of Jesus like Paul had to suffer and endure so much. Indeed, this caused them to think of Paul as an inferior apostle. Paul did not avoid and turn away from his sufferings. Rather he magnified the power of God in his weaknesses. Notice what Paul proclaimed,
“If I must boast, I will boast in the things that show my weakness” (2 Corinthians 11:30).
Our loving God has given us sufficient Grace to endure whatever suffering or trials that may come our way. God has given us all that we need in this life to endure and grow as His disciples. Thank God for the strength that He provides through His Grace, which helps us cope with our weaknesses! Those who trust in the Lord have learned to depend entirely on God when their strength is weak. The purpose of the suffering that we endure is to remove our pride, self-confidence, and independence. We must learn to embrace suffering since God has given us His Grace.
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (James 1:2-4).
- Paul’s Amazing Experience:
“I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. 3 And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— 4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. 5 On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses— 6 though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me.” (2 Corinthians 12:1-6)
“I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. 3 And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— 4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter.” (2 Cor.12:2-3)
“On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses— 6 though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me.”
“On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses.”
“So to keep me from being too elated by the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.’” (2 Cor. 12:7-10)
- The Blessings in The Thorns:
“7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.” (2 Cor. 12:7)
Did you know that people can also be thorns? Have you ever said that so and so is a “thorn” in my side or somewhere else? Why do we say this about people? We say this about some people because they irritate us. These people may criticize us, talk about us, make life difficult for us, cause problems, or even try to disgrace us somehow. In other words, they make our lives miserable, exasperating, infuriating, maddening, annoying, and we don’t like it.
Have you ever noticed that prickly things come in many shapes, sizes, and colors? There seem to be four different types of thorns. There is the wooden splinter, the barbed wire, the glass shard, and the unseen thorn in our own flesh. This got me thinking. I came up with the following question. What if there were no thorns to experience? What if God had not given us thorns as a result of Adam and Eve's sins against Him back in Eden? To make the question much simpler. What if God did not remind us of the consequences that grow out of disobeying Him? How dreadful that place of eternal punishment is! Yet, our Creator has been merciful to us even in the thorns, those thorns that come into our lives.
By God’s Grace, these thorns motivate us to build up our faith, help us see our need, and realize that we cannot fix it by ourselves. We cannot prevent these thorns from coming into our lives physically or spiritually. We have no control, nor can we prevent bad things from happening in life. But, there is one who indeed has that power, who was willing to wear a crown of thorns for our redemption and hope.
- Maybe you are experiencing thorns of bad health.
- Maybe someone you thought was a friend has turned against you and become your great adversary.
- Maybe you have lost your job.
- Maybe it is your pride.
- Maybe someone has provoked in you some root of bitterness.
- Maybe you are being carried away and distracted by things of this life.
- Maybe you are trying to control something you have absolutely no power over.
- Maybe these thorns are the result of sin that we need to repent of and turn away from.
"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)
- Paul was given a thorn in his flesh, which was a messenger of Satan to torment him.
- Satan uses trials, suffering, and difficulties to torment us.
- He also uses these thorns to harass us and afflict us.
- The book of Job portrays this well. Satan used suffering to torment Job so that he would turn away from the Lord. Satan afflicted Job so that he would prove that he was serving God for nothing.
Paul declared that because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations he received, he was given a thorn in the flesh so that he would not exalt himself or become conceited. God used this thorn to keep Paul humble. God allows suffering purposefully for our own good. On the other hand, Satan uses suffering to torment us, harass us, and destroy us.
Even the cross of Jesus was not an exclusive work of Satan or God. In Revelation 12, Satan was using temptations regarding the cross to destroy Christ. On the other hand, God was using the cross to save the world.
"When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness." (Luke 22:53)
- Paul’s Prayer:
"Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. '" (2 Corinthians 12:8-9)
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’”
“My grace is sufficient for you.”
"9 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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.'"
- God uses weak people to show His strength, for the weak have learned to depend on God.
- Gideon:
- Moses:
Moses was an exiled shepherd who became the deliverer of God’s people out of Egypt.
- David:
- God uses suffering to keep us humble:
"So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited." (2 Cor. 12:7)
- The “thorn” is a personal matter:
- The “thorn” is a significant matter:
- The “thorn” is a stressful matter:
- The “thorn” is a spiritual matter:
- The “thorn” is a strengthening matter:
- The “thorn” is a humbling matter:
- New Life Perspective:
“Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
“I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.”
“I take pleasure in weaknesses….”
- Weaknesses:
Let us focus on the word “weakness” (astheneia) to learn about our weaknesses. The word “weakness” means lack of strength. This lack of strength comprises four areas in our lives. Let us consider them.
- Physically Weak:
Physically weak is when our body gets old, tired, frail, sick, hungry, lacks sleep, and gets thirsty. Physically weak means our body breaks and malfunctions. Thus one of our weaknesses is physical weakness. This is when we need doctors, medicine, and God’s healing power.
- Mentally Weak:
This is our lack of mental strength to understand God’s ways, complex relationships, and our own weakness. We mentally think wrong thoughts and allow our minds to wander too much. This is why the Bible is constantly exhorting us to renew and transform our minds to have wisdom and gain understanding of God’s Truth.
- Emotionally Weak:
This is when we lack the strength to handle pressure, so we become easily worried and anxious. Because we feel overwhelmed, we are easily offended. Because of our worries, we are filled with anxieties that cripple our walk with our Lord. When we are emotionally weak, we must seek God’s Truth and counsel to help us cope with our emotions. Our worry destroys our health, our faith, our hope, and our confidence in God. So we must choose to cast all our worries on God, for He cares. God’s Grace can produce in us love, peace, joy, longsuffering, and self-control, even amid our weaknesses, whatever they may be.
- Spiritually weak:
This is when we claim to love our Lord but don’t trust Him enough, for we lack faith. Our faith is indeed small! This is also when we claim to love His Word but neglect to study it amid our trials. Indeed, this is when we must be compelled to study His Word the most and draw nearer to God. We are also spiritually weak when we know we must worship and be with our brethren but neglect to do it because the pressures of this life keep us from fellowshipping to grow spiritually and further God’s kingdom. Being spiritually weak is very dangerous! We must always be on the alert, for we are fighting a spiritual war that we must recognize. Thus we must pray for one another, encourage one another, build each other up, and grow in our knowledge of God’s Word, so that God may help us not give into sin.
- Weaknesses Are Not Sins In Our Lives:
- Physically speaking, it is not a sin to be hungry, tired, need rest, or be sick.
- Mentally speaking, it’s not a sin to misunderstand, misinterpret, or misread something.
- Emotionally speaking, it’s not a sin to struggle or battle with our emotions: anger, loneliness, or anxieties.
- Spiritually speaking, it’s not a sin to not know how to pray or know how to read and understand God’s Word or how to worship God.
We must understand that our “weaknesses” are what make our trials and temptations so difficult to bear. When our trials bump up against our weaknesses, we struggle and wrestle more, and it is more challenging to get through them. Because of our trials, we find ourselves sinking in them. But that is when we need God most, to help us and pull us out. It is when God opens the door and delivers us through His wisdom and counsel. It is also when He provides the self-control that we need most to bear our trials or burdens. Amid our trials or temptations, we need God to give us patience to keep us humble. For when we are weak, that’s when we are truly strong.
It’s during our moment of temptation or trial that we discover where we are weak, that is, our spiritual condition. It is like Paul is saying,
“God has done some great things in my life. He has allowed me to see things that no one else has seen. He has blessed me with insight into His will and ways that are beyond description, but I’m not going to boast about that. What I’m going to boast about is that in my times of weakness, when I couldn’t do it on my own and I couldn’t climb up out of my pit and when I didn’t know what to do or where to go, and when I thought about giving up, God showed up. It was in my weakness that I found God’s strength to get up and move on. Because when I’m weak, that’s when I’m strong.”
An example of this was when Paul preached God’s message in 2 Corinthians 10:10.
"For they say, 'His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account.'"
When the power of Christ rests on us, we can be well pleased and exult gladly in our weaknesses.
- Because the power of Christ rests on us amid our suffering, pain, hardship, and persecution, we can be strong when we are weak.
- When we surrender our will to God in our weaknesses (failures, sufferings, and difficulties), we depend gladly on Him instead of ourselves or others.
- Because of God’s power in us, we can make it through the trials and pains in life.
- God strengthens us when we need Him to come to our aid.
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4)
God uses suffering to draw us to Himself (2 Cor. 12:8), reveal our spiritual condition, and help us stay humble. God wants us to be diligent in prayer, understanding of His Word amid our trials or temptations to increase and deepen our faith. God uses the thorns in our lives to draw us closer to Him. And though Paul said,
“Three times I begged the Lord to take it away.”
“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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.’”
“Paul, the blessings I have given you, the insights I have given you, the strength I have given you is sufficient. Through this weakness caused by this thorn in your life, you are being made stronger. Because I am allowing this thorn to continue, you will be more humble, patient with others, kinder, have more empathy with others in pain, loving and kind toward others. As a result, you will glorify Me more. Through this weakness and this affliction, you are made more mature. You pray more because of it. You are more humble because of it. Your affliction makes you more useable and effective in My kingdom. This pain, this suffering, this problem, this thorn you have to experience and endure is actually helping you accomplish more and bear much fruit for My glory. This is why you are able to say, ‘When I am weak, then I am strong.’”
“Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
We must embrace the trials that God allows us to undergo, knowing that such trials will reveal our character, humble us, draw us closer to God, and allow God to display His grace and power in our lives.
The Gospel of Mark tells us that Jesus was “greatly distressed and troubled.” He records what Jesus told them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death.” Mark records the following.
“And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 And he said, ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”’ (Mk. 14:35-36)
“And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. 40 And when he came to the place, he said to them, ‘Pray that you may not enter into temptation.’ 41 And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, ‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.’ 43 And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.’” (Luke 22:39-44)
Weakness equals strength when our weakness drives us to the One who is our strength, our Lord Jesus. And though Jesus knew His time had come, He was able to face Judas and soldiers with power because of the strength, the help, and love of the Father upon Him. The power that comes from one who has given everything over to the will of God.
Indeed, we don’t equate Jesus with weakness but great strength. Jesus had to endure temptations at the beginning of His ministry. He had to defeat Satan and temptation. Near the end of His ministry, Jesus told the disciples that He would have to go to Jerusalem to die. When Peter heard Jesus say this, he told Jesus that it must not happen. But Jesus sharply rebuked Peter and said to him, “Get behind me, Satan.” Jesus said that to Peter because the cross and the sin of the world was the greatest trial He had to face. When that night finally came, Jesus told the disciples to pray about not entering into temptation.
Even though Jesus was fully man, He never sinned. Unlike Jesus, we allow our weaknesses to lead us to sin. We, like Peter, face temptation and fail our Jesus, who loves us. Like Peter, our sin may drive us to weep in shame and remorse. But sin becomes what we choose at the moment of trial or temptation. Weaknesses are those areas where we are the most vulnerable. Satan throws his darts at us to find those areas where we failed to put on God’s armor as we should have. To grow, we must recognize those areas that we lack in our spiritual walk with our Lord. Self-examination is vital to our growth and our walk with Christ. Thus, examine yourself! Do not take the speck out of the eye of others until you deal with the plank in your own eye.
Paul experienced God’s Grace when he acknowledged his need and own inability. The Grace that God had extended to Paul was greater than the thorn in the flesh he endured. And though God did not take away that which tormented Paul, God helped him to learn that He was greater than that which tormented him. God was asking Paul to trust Him, even when Paul did not understand. That is part of what Grace is.
In 2 Cor. 12:10, when Paul said, “When I am weak, then I am strong,” is where we all must be spiritually. Paul acknowledged that strength could only come from the Lord. Our weaknesses make us realize how much we need God. Jesus is telling you and me, “My grace is sufficient for you.” Sin is the greatest problem everyone must face. But when we humble ourselves and come before God in full repentance, God’s grace is greater than our sin, and we can find rest, knowing that His Grace is enough.
There is no profit in bragging about how weak we are. Our only boast must be in the cross and in the power of the blood of Jesus. The Grace that is greater than all our sins is possible only through the blood of Jesus. When we seek to live in step with the Spirit of God and walk in the pathway of righteousness, we rely on the Grace of Jesus. I am so grateful to God for what He has done to save us and for the joy of knowing that I am in the hands of a loving God who loves us! When we humbly surrender our weaknesses to the Grace of Jesus, we can stay strong and have joy.
Paul summarized what he learned from his experiences in this paradoxical statement,
“For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
“On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses— 6 though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me.”
We must look at our trials, difficulties, hardships, pains, insults, and weaknesses and count it all joy, for we know that the testing of our faith produces faithfulness and steadfastness that we may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Therefore, we must look at our life and acknowledge how God is working for our eternal salvation. We must examine our hearts and ask ourselves, What is the thorn God allows us to experience to keep us from pride and arrogance? God has given us enough Grace to embrace our suffering, which is necessary for our faith. We lack nothing that might help us remain faithful to God and flourish through our suffering, for God’s power and strength are provided to us to help us endure our weaknesses (temptations or trials). Jesus, our Lord, suffered, prayed three times, and accepted God’s answer. So we also must suffer, pray, and accept God’s answer with a humble heart that wants to please his Creator.
May the LORD help us depend entirely on Him during our times of failures, sufferings, and difficulties (our weaknesses). May we surrender our will to God in such frailties of life, knowing that He is in control. May our LORD help us to see the blessings in the thorns. May we draw near to Him without wavering. May we all accept God's answer to our prayers when suffering like Paul.