Paul must have been in some kind of agony. He had a thorn in the flesh (probably a physical ailment and possibly his deteriorating eyesight (see Gal 6:11)) that caused him enough angst and pain to cry out to the Lord again and again. I often wonder how I would react if I were in Paul’s shoes.
“Lord, please take away this thorn”.
‘No’
“Lord, please please please take away this thorn”.
‘No’.
“Lord Why? Please take away this thorn. Please Lord. I’m being tormented by satan. Lord I can’t take it any more”
‘No.’
What would I do? Throw a spiritual hissy fit? Accuse God of being unjust? Leave the church? Refuse to speak to God for a few months???
Paul knew that the Lord had given him an ailment/thorn in the flesh to stop him from becoming conceited. He had received a great revelation and the potential for pride was there. Three times Paul pleaded with the Lord to take away the thorn but God revealed to Paul that His grace was all that was needed.
Tough times are often sent our way by the Lord for our good. Sometimes God needs to remove our pride. Sometimes, He needs to sand the rough parts. Sometimes, He may want to hone down our attitude. As we read in Romans God works all things for the good of those who love Him. God is working in you and His grace is working out in your life. Like Paul, we need to learn to see the Grace of God and to praise Him for it and to boast in Him, even when we walk down a rocky road.
Prayer:-
- Are you going through tough or difficult times? Spend time asking God what He wants to do in you and/or through you. Spend time asking God to allow you to see the grace that He has poured out into your life.
- Pray that our brothers and sisters in Burma know the grace of God and rely on that grace each and every day (pray that for all of us too). The Burmese government has the worst human rights record at present and certain groups (such as the Karen people) are particularly persecuted. Pray that a new Christian friendly government will come into power.
Do It Today
If you know a believer who is going through a tough time, ring them and make a time to drop in to encourage them.
Think of a way to be a blessing to them.
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