Epiphany Moments – Blessings are Cursed is a look a the cross-bearing life of a Christian. We can only guess what the Apostle Paul’s thorn in the flesh was. What does yours look like?
Tormented Apostle
God didn’t want Paul to fall to the devils temptations, so he allowed the devil to bring some evil into Paul’s life. Paul calls it a thorn that tormented him. What was it? Some think that it was malaria, that often made Paul sick. Maybe it was very poor eye site – he comments at the end of his letter to the Galatians of what large letters he uses as he writes with his own hand. Some say Paul couldn’t speak very well, he was not eloquent, he stuttered and stammered to get words out. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.
Three Times
Three times Paul prayed that God would take this thorn away – I think he truly thought he could do a better job as a missionary if… he wasn’t so sick; think of all the people he could reach with more energy and less down time, or if he could see just a little better, it was embarrassing, or if he could speak with the eloquence then he could convince his hearers over. Paul was not wrong to pray for this. Jesus did the same thing in the garden of Gethsemane, Lord if there’s another way; but if not, cross here I come.
A Moment of Silence
What’s your thorn? I’m going to throw out a couple examples for you, but I want to take a moment for you to ponder what’s wrong in your life? What is your thorn? … What’s something that you wish you could do but you can’t? Are you sick a lot, or do you have a chronic disease? Do you struggle with an addiction? Is there something about you that you think is holding you back from being the best Christian witness the world has ever seen? Maybe there is. You might just have your very own messenger from Satan, to keep you humble. When you are suffering, you have no delusions of grandeur. When you are suffering and humble, go to God. You’ve heard it said that it’s easier to pray when you’re on your knees. Anytime you have a struggle take it to God in prayer. I promise he will answer you. I can’t promise that the answer will be what you want, but he does hear and he will answer.
Want to hear more? Watch this week’s message taken from 2 Corinthians 12, Epiphany Moments – Blessings are Cursed.
Book(s): 2 Corinthians
Series: Epiphany Moments
Tag(s): Cross Bearing, Epiphany
Speaker(s): Fred Guldberg