Divine wisdom has determined that the thorn is necessary to prevent the apostle from becoming conceited. If you or your loved one has suffered from afflictions such as earaches, headaches, depression, kidney stones, arthritis, dental infection, cancer, or shingles, then you understand the feeling of having a thorn in the flesh.
In Paul's case, the thorn is a humiliating experience. And the painful truth is that it is God who has allowed it. This does not suggest that we should enjoy suffering, however, because of the same Lord who walks with us through the pain, the thorn in us becomes the tool that points us to the one who gives us hope. We may still groan, and cry, and shed tears. But He will also give us the strength we need to endure because the God of the thorns is also the God of grace. |