Three times I begged the Lord to take it away."
2 Corinthians 13:8
2 Corinthians 13:8
How many times have I asked God to take "it" away? Paul did not just ask, he begged. He begged not just once but three times. Begged is translated as besought or implore urgently; to ask as a gift, as charity, or as a favor. Paul was simply begging God for a favor.
I have found myself in the Paul's place many times in my life. In fact, I am there now and have been for quite some time, years even. Tears have been shed and prayers have been prayed but still the thorn remains. Recently in a season of particular darkness concerning this thorn, God sent an encourager my way. She did not know she was God's messenger to me that day. She sent me a random selection of scriptures. But we know, nothing is random.
The scripture is from The Message:
Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
James 1:2-4
James 1:2-4
The part of this scripture that hit me square between the eyes is, "so don't try to get out of anything prematurely." Sometimes the pain we are going through physically or otherwise, seems so harsh we feel we can't go on. Paul felt this same way, thus begging for God to remove the source of the pain. Paul realized his pain had a purpose. The purpose for Paul's pain was to help him remain humble.
I not sure of the purpose of my thorn. However, I have learned one lesson Paul learned: in the middle of pain, His grace is all I need and His power works best in my weakness. Paul went as far to admit that he took pleasure in his weakness he was strong because of the Lord. I am not ready to say that I take pleasure the weakness I feel as I suffer with my thorn, however, I don't want to miss a thing God has for me so I forge on, trying to walk with the thorn.
I may be weak but Christ is not weak when He deals with me; He is powerful among me. (2 Corinthians 13:8) In His wisdom and through His sovereign will He has decided it is best for me to live with this thorn. I must trust this decision because I believe His plans for me are good and are meant to bring me a hope and future. Will I continue to pray for its removal? Yes I will but I will also continue to trust Him if chooses to allow it to remain.
14 Comments:
2 Corinthians 13:11(b) - Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.
I have written here before about the turmoil that my church in CA is going through. It breaks my heart! If only the people there would live 2 Corinthians 13:11(b)! But I fear to much has passed. There will be separations. Members will leave, even pastors will leave. The congregation will need a strong leader to guide them through to their new place. So much anger; so much hurt! So much bitterness! Where is the Christian love? I know God has a purpose for each individual and for the whole community. I know (as Wendy said) nothing is random or by chance. I know that He is working for good in all things for those who love Him and while His plan is not evident to me, His love is. I pray for my friends today and I pray for peace within that congregation.
I can't end this without remarking on Paul and Eutychus... Did it make you laugh out loud? It did me! For an "unskilled speaker" Paul sure talked on! And even after Eutychus fell to his death, Paul verified he was alive (without any apparent amazement at that) and went on to preach 'til DAWN!!! Why is this story in the Bible? What is its message? It can't be that we will survive long-winded speakers, can it? :)
I'm in my new apartment and it is beginning to feel like there is an end to this transition phase! Have a good day everyone!
Karen, Basel
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Wendy, Paul's "thorn" is what captured my attention today too.
"...I was given a thorn in my flesh..." 2 Corinthians 12:7
A thorn. Unidentified, yet not a stranger to many of us. It irritates and causes pain, unwanted and often undiagnosed. I believe the reason God does not specifically define Paul's thorn, is so that we can apply this thorn theology individually. It could be physical. It could be people. It's always personal.
Where did the thorn come from? We see the immediate cause was Satan (vs.7), but the ultimate cause was God.
What to do with a thorn? Pray. Paul makes a request. He gets a response. His life replies.
Like you highlighted Wendy, Paul asked three times for the thorn to be removed. He begged the Lord to take it away. Other translations say he "implored". It was an earnest desire that came from his heart to give God glory.
The answer he receives is "no". When God says 'no', He gives us something else that is better than what we thought we needed. This 'no' ushered in more grace. "He giveth more grace when the burdens get greater." "No" is never the end of the story.
Paul accepts God's answer. God strengthened Paul as Satan tried to destroy him. Paul doesn't just endure his thorn, he embraces it. He receives it with gladness (vs.9). Paul says, "For when I am weak, then I am strong." (vs.10) The "when" moment. At the very second of weakness, God makes us strong.
Paul teaches us here that with burdens come blessings. Each hardship is especially chosen for us by God. Thorns aren't accidental. God brings us exactly what we need to bring us to a point of obedience. "I was given..." The thorn was timed and tailor-made.
Sufficient grace can only come through sufficient faith. I need to confess the sin of self-pity and bitterness and allow God to fill me with His grace. Then, after committing the 'thorn' to God, let it go, changing the petition prayer to one of praise, remembering that God's power works best in weakness (vs.9).
It's hard to receive it with gladness. I'll be praying for your 'thorn' Wendy. Ours may not be the same, but our response can be, whether the thorns are removed or remain.
Love ya,
Joy
Happy December 1st!
Paul experienced one suffering after another; despite all of this, he knew that his life on earth was brief, and he so desired to please his Lord for the time he had here and encourage others to be prepared to meet his Savior.
We read about our God Almighty, El Shaddai, The All-Sufficient One, telling Paul, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness," 2 Cor. 12:9
God's grace...
*God's forgiving mercy
*favor
*kindness
*friendship
*glory hereafter to be revealed
*gifts from God
*miracles
Through Paul's suffering we see him not losing his faith. He, day after day, remains close to his Father. After everything he endured, clearly we see His divine power working and displayed through him.
God never gives us more than we can tolerate. He is, The All-Sufficient One. Just like God sent an encourager your way, Wendy, he gave Paul an experience that I'm sure increased his faith:
2 Cor. 12:4, "I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell." This experience God allowed him to have must have given him infinite strength to keep enduring the constant suffering he had in his everyday life.
Oh, may I live more like Paul, with a strong desire to encourage others to be prepared to meet Him, and to encourage and love those around me.
I loved the verse near the end:
2 Cor. 13:12
"May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." Lori -AZ
PS The thought that we can "fellowship" with the Holy Spirit throughout our day, warms my heart! His Spirit in us, guiding us and counseling us along. I love that!
Good morning dear friends,
After reading this morning's passages, I would love to read your thoughts on the "third heaven" and "paradise". For example, why is it called the "third heaven"? Is there a first and second? I am full of questions on this topic and would love to read your comments.
Wishing you a wonderful day in Christ,
Nancy
Good Morning everyone -
I didn't comment yesterday however 2 Cor 7:8-10 stuck out. My Daughter had to deal with someone in her life then felt guilty. I passed that scripture on to her.
Thorns - well I'm sure all of us have something the devil tries to use against us. But yes it is a wonderful way for us to learn to lean on God and use His strength.
I am always ready to jump in and plan it all out and get it done - God is showing me I need to slow down and wait for His Plan. :)
Loves and Blessings to all
Lynn
Hi Nancy,
My Study Bible, said: "'caught up to the third heaven...caught up to paradise,' "Paul is sure of this remarkable experience, but he is unsure whether this rapture {being "caught up"} was one that included the body or that took place in separation from the body. The third heaven designates a place beyond the immediate heaven of the earth's atmosphere and beyond the further heaven of outer space and its constellations into the presence of God himself. Thus the risen and glorified Lord is said to have passed "through the heavens" (Heb. 4:14), and now, having "ascended higher than all the heavens" (Eph. 4:10), to be "exalted above the heavens" (Heb. 7:26). The term "paradise" is synonymous with the third heaven, where those believers who have died are even now "at home with the Lord" The nature of the inexpressible things that Paul heard remains unknown to us because this is something Paul was not permitted to tell. "
El Shaddai, The All-Sufficient One, (OUR FATHER!) allowed and planned for Paul to have this "experience," to actually be in God's presence. Oh, we just can't begin to comprehend God's Grace! He suffered so, and God never gave him more than he could stand. This experience was given to him to encourage him, just like we have friends today that encourage us. I'm sure Paul felt the divine power in him!
Oh, sisters, we have that same power in us today!
Lori - AZ
I'm back sorry-:), but..as I was walking this morning and praying I thought how so often I am in my pit of 'self-pity.' I'm inclined to think, "why me, Lord?" Feeling like a porcupine with thorns hitting me from every direction! And, it's just the enemy, placing those thoughts in my mind. Getting me to focus on myself rather than on Him.
Oh, that I would not forget today's reading! I really want it to sink in, to the deepest part of me. I don't walk to wake up and forget what I read today! God's plan for me is perfect; He knows just what He is doing. My little pricks are nothing like thorns that Paul suffered! Oh, that I would truly believe that whatever comes my way, that it's ok; I've got my Father,El Shaddai, with me at all times! Today, I seek to rejoice before the LORD my God in everything I put my hands to. Deut. 12:18
Hugs,
Lori - Mesa - AZ
PS Jan, Lifted up Byron this morning.
Karen - I am with you on the story of Eutychus. Would love to go a bit deeper there myself.
Wendy - this morning you remind us we are sisters in weakness, therefore sisters in strength and power. When we can be weak together, God's love and strength can shine through.
I pray for us all to keep praying our thorns might be removed, but that is that is not God's will (as it was not his will Jesus escape Cavalry) that he give us the strength like Paul to embrace the pain and boast about it.
Joy - what you wrote yesterday about Titus and people showing up brought tears to my eyes. SO beautiful and so true.
I give thanks to God today for all of our afflictions and all of our weakness. I boast about it, in fact, on behalf of all of us. And I thank God for all of the encouragers he has sent to show us he is with us, and remind us we are weak but he is strong.
Lord Jesus, shine your healing light on our dark places today.
Amen!
Liz
AK
Regarding the "third heaven" situation. Here is what The Message says: "You've forced me to talk this way, and I do it against my better judgment. But now that we're at it, I may as well bring up the matter of visions and revelations that God gave me. For instance, I know a man who, fourteen years ago, was seized by Christ and swept in ecstasy to the heights of heaven. I really don't know if this took place in the body or out of it, only God knows. I also know that this man was hijacked into paradise- again, whether in or out of the body, I don't know; God knows. There he heard the unspeakable spoken, but was forbidden to tell what he heard. This is the man I want to talk about. But about myself, I'm not saying another word apart from the humiliations." 2 Cor. 12: 1-5
Anyone's thoughts on this version? Is Paul actually talking about himself.. is fourteen years ago the time when he was converted to Christianity? I'm confused!
I also wanted to put out a prayer request. The apartment complex that my husband and I live in has been put up for sale. We have been blessed by the owner's (members of our church), who have offered us an amazing rental fee due to the fact that my husband works on the music ministry staff. I am afraid that once the apartments are sold (there are already two offers on it), we will either be asked to leave or our rent will be increased. God knows what a blessing this living space has been to my husband and I, both financially and physically. The owner's had let us paint it and put new flooring in, etc.. really make it a home and I've put my heart into the upgrading, so my heart is very sad right now, unsure of what's going to happen, and of course, the uncertainty of having to move elsewhere. We have five animals we have rescued from various shelters, and they are our "children". It's very hard to find a rental that lets us keep that many animals. I guess my prayer is that God will grant me the peace that He will provide us with the answer in His time and way. It would be such a blessing if we were able to stay put, depending on the new rent, etc.. I'm having a hard time with the "not knowing what's going to happen" and trying to plan w/o all the information in front of us. I think the waiting is the toughest part. I realize this isn't a life and death situation and certainly other people are struggling with much more serious situations, but when you've found a place to call home, it's really tough to think of having to leave.
Krista
Krista
Some commentaries say Paul was referring to himself, others say he was not. Those that say he was referring to himself say these visions possible happened before his trip Taurus.
The people of Corinth were being fooled by the teaching of false prophets who claimed to have visions, making the assumption that since these "prophets" had such visions they must be real prophets.
Not sure if this helps or not. I personally believe that Paul was talking about himself in the third person as not to sound like the bragging false prophets. I think he was trying to show that many people can have visions but that doesn't make them a prophet. A prophet is called by God and preaches the whole truth.
Hi ladies,
It just so happens that the conference I went to spoke on this passage. One of the speakers talked about how when we are at are lowest (dealing with our thorn), it is an opportunity for God to show his greatness. It is an opportunity for God to work the impossible and that there will be no mistaking His glory since it's brought about in our own weakness.
A thought about Paul's thorn...the speaker mentioned that Paul was sent to three cities and rejected at each one, he was even stoned on one occasion. The thorn may represent being sent to those who reject him.
I also heard an interesting teaching on lamentation - which ties in with this passage as well. How lamentation is one of the highest forms of prayer. Even though our circumstances are not what we desire, yet we choose to rejoice/worship the Lord for who He is. We gather up all our pain and stand before the Lord and say even though this is going on, Lord I love you, I give you honour and glory whether you choose to change it or not. And when we turn to Him, suddenly what's going on at our feet doesn't matter because our minds and hearts are freed in the heavens. Cool eh :)
Lord, thank You for being with me, even as I stand/struggle in all my worldly "stuff." Help me surrender to You, so that I may be an instrument of Your will in my weakness for Your honour and glory. I choose to worship You today, in awe and wonder of all that You are and that You care so much for me!
Amen sisters,
Jodie
Hi Nancy,
If you are interested in reading about the heavenly realms...try "the reality of the supernatural world" by Todd Bentley - a book about the heavenly realms and prophetic experiences in the modern world. I found it to be very powerful and well grounded in scripture. Please know that the author has currently fallen in his ministry (ie he has been removed from ministry) - but the book was written before this.
Jodie
Nancy,
If you are interested in the heavenly realms, you can try this book "the Reality of the supernatural World" by Todd Bentley. It's a book about the heavenly realms and prophetic experiences. I found it to be well grounded in scipture and very powerful. However, please be warned that the author has fallen from his ministry so there is some contreversy about him right now. However, this book was written before he got caught up in current circumstances and I believe his words to be true. I leave it up to you.
Jodie
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