by Howard Whittlesey
Synopsis: When a messenger of Satan hounds a man about his departure from God’s path, our Savior is only a prayer away from penitence and resolution with which Satan cannot cope.
Can you relate to the apostle Paul when he recalls his “thorn in the flesh?” Do you have such a thing plaguing you? Consider this: Does the thorn in the flesh have to be something physical—a scab, a scar in an unfortunate location, a bone chip or spur, a nagging joint that hurts like the mischief, etc.? What if it’s none of the above? What if the thorn is lodged in the heart and will never leave you? Some memories (good and bad, by the way) are permanent residents, are they not? Even prayer may not remove these thorns of the heart.
Remind us, Lord, that Paul asked You three times for the removal of his thorn. Your answer is timeless: “My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). One might embolden the word is many times over so as to realize that Jesus said, “My grace is.” His grace is greater than all thorns combined.
Look back a few millennia to 2 Samuel 12. King David had committed adultery with Bathsheba. Subsequently, he schemed with Joab to “fix it” so that Uriah (Bathsheba’s husband) would be killed while fighting a war on the front-line (2 Sam. 11:14-15). Mind you: This could not have appeased David in the least, especially if he had ever heard someone repeat the words of Moses spoken to Joshua and Caleb: “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Num. 32:23). The most scathing moment of David’s life had to be in verses 1-14 of 2 Samuel 12. Neither the prophet Nathan nor God held anything back from David in addressing his guilt and punishment. David was forgiven because of his immediate humility and penitence (a timeless formula that works for all men). Was the grace of the Lord sufficient for David? Was God’s strength made perfect in David’s weakness? Think.
Be assured: Good memories are just as rewarding as bad memories are scathing. God is the sole steward of the first one; Satan stewards the latter—and how! Satan is loaded with great thorns.
This writer knows of a man that has sorely regretted the way he treated his three-year-old daughter one morning while having difficulty with his car. The daughter was just having fun in the yard, not far from him. She offered some very friendly dialogue to her daddy, but he harshly snapped back at her, telling her to go on and play, and don’t bother him. The man said, “The look on her face was what really got me.” He regrets it to this very day and has cried a number of times over it. In later years, he apologized to his daughter about it and was very tearful even then. The daughter was most gracious in response to her dad, but the thorny memory offered no removal of sadness or ugliness.
The apostle Paul’s resolution is as timeless as the reply of Jesus in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10: “Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” This assurance is bolstered by the likes of his words in Romans 8:31-39. In short, he told the reader that God’s intention is to “be there” for His children in “thorns of adversity.” Also, remember that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. Separation from Christ’s love is our doing. Conquest (despite the thorn) can result from uniting with Him (v. 37).
The Lord will allow us to climb our “Mount Nebo,” even with our thorn(s). From there, one can get a glimpse, with the mind’s eye, of the virtual promised land. It is tantamount to saying that the thorn will not keep its victim from viewing it, mentally, or entering eternally. Paul’s choice to “glory in his infirmities” helps us to see that we can receive all we need from Christ anyway. The messenger of Satan may buffet, but it cannot condemn us when our resolve is as profound and godly as Paul’s was. We will still be able to say, “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness. . .” (2 Tim. 4:8). Never forget, the messenger of Satan is minuscule compared to the infinite power of God.
