Even thorns have spiritual value

“There was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me,” (2 Corinthians 12:7).

You can’t help but wonder what this “thorn in the flesh” was, but we know from Scripture that it kept Paul humble and ensured that his prayer life remained active.

Theologians have offered a number of possibilities.

Many have argued that Paul was talking about a speech impediment. There is some evidence that Paul was not a good speaker. Maybe he stammered.

Perhaps it was an eye infection. The Bible records that eye infections were fairly common in southern Galatia when Paul visited on his first missionary journey. Paul says in Galatians 4:13 that he had been having some problems with his eyes: “As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you. ... Even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn ... you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me,” (Galatians 4:13-15).

Maybe his problem was with a wandering eye, not an infected one. The problem with that claim is there isn’t a shred of evidence that Paul struggled with lust.

I’m glad that Paul never felt led by the Spirit to tell us exactly what his “thorn in the flesh” was because his admission would enable us to rule out any spiritual lessons from all those other thorns in the flesh that nag us today.

We can grow and learn spiritually from any thorn in the flesh. That’s part of what God is trying to get across. Thorns that plague us often produce patience and humility, virtues that none of us can get too much of.

Here’s the point: God refused to remove Paul’s weakness, but he never said that he wouldn’t demonstrate his power through Paul. What he said to Paul is one of my favorite verses: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness,” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

The fact that God’s power shows up in weak people should give us courage. It’s only when we recognize our limitations, that we stop patting ourselves on the back. That’s an important moment because we finally begin to understand who’s in charge.

Weaknesses not only help us to develop Christian character but also deepen our worship. When we begin to acknowledge our weaknesses, the door opens for God to affirm his strength in our lives. It’s another opportunity to let his glory shine right through our problems.

Write to Mike Ruffin at mike.ruffin@devotions.com. His Web site is devotions.com.

“There was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me,” (2 Corinthians 12:7).

You can’t help but wonder what this “thorn in the flesh” was, but we know from Scripture that it kept Paul humble and ensured that his prayer life remained active.

Theologians have offered a number of possibilities.

Many have argued that Paul was talking about a speech impediment. There is some evidence that Paul was not a good speaker. Maybe he stammered.

Perhaps it was an eye infection. The Bible records that eye infections were fairly common in southern Galatia when Paul visited on his first missionary journey. Paul says in Galatians 4:13 that he had been having some problems with his eyes: “As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you. ... Even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn ... you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me,” (Galatians 4:13-15).

Maybe his problem was with a wandering eye, not an infected one. The problem with that claim is there isn’t a shred of evidence that Paul struggled with lust.

I’m glad that Paul never felt led by the Spirit to tell us exactly what his “thorn in the flesh” was because his admission would enable us to rule out any spiritual lessons from all those other thorns in the flesh that nag us today.

We can grow and learn spiritually from any thorn in the flesh. That’s part of what God is trying to get across. Thorns that plague us often produce patience and humility, virtues that none of us can get too much of.