His grace is sufficient

“And lest I should he exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians12:7-9)

Mistake after mistake, stumble after stumble, we wonder why our God is so mindful of us. Why does he keep putting up with us? Why does he even take the time to come see us? That fleshly affliction, that thorn in flesh keeps raising its head. Yet, the grace of God is sufficient.

We began seeing our thorn in the flesh as Paul did, a nagging affliction. Yet, by and by, we come to understand that the very thing that makes us stumble can also be the thing that keeps us on our knees in prayer. It is the very thing that keeps us humble. It is the thing that causes us to lean on God and trust Him, for it has been proven time and again that we cannot trust ourselves. Like Paul we surmise, “For what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.” (Romans 7:15)

     A thorn is a sharp thing, which pricks, pierces, irritates, lacerates, festers, and causes endless
     pain and inconvenience. Yet it is almost a secret thing, not very apparent to anyone but the
     sufferer. Paul had a secret grief somewhere, irritating and vexing him…Everyone knows
     that a thorn is one of the most wretched pains in our foot or hand. It is seldom fatal,
     and frequently the source of the most intense anguish such as, a toothache, headache, or
     earache. It sounds like nothing but is incessantly irritating.

Notice that this temptation is not one experienced in the spirit, but a temptation of the flesh.  Paul sought the Lord three times to have the thorn removed. But the Lord provided him “something better; the result was that the grace given him enabled him to bear the thorn, and lifted him right above it, till he even rejoiced, and gloried God.”

GiGi❤️

Charles Haddon Spurgeon, The Thorn in the Flesh, December 8, 1872, From: Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Volume 18

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