Exalting the Power

“…there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ …That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Cor. 12:7-10.

Sometimes some of the most powerful Christian principles are played out in some of the simplest terms. This application is not to minimize the thorn in Paul’s side as we are told from commentaries that this was an incredible and on going burden for Paul that was never removed. I do feel the importance of seeing Scripture in every situation possible. This is what has happened over the past few days.

After we attended my father-in-law’s funeral, Bruce and I decided to get away for a week at the beach following a grueling year. Within two days after arriving I experienced such excruciating pain that I ended up at the dentist. Turns out I need a root canal and crown asap but was able to get antibiotics and pain killers until I return home. Over the past 6 days I have had to manage my pain at the mercy of how effective my pills have been. God has used this time to make me totally dependent on Him for pain relief. Sometimes the pills have worked for a long span of time and other times they haven’t been as effective. The times when they were less effective were the times that drove me into solitude and on my face asking God to lessen the pain if not to remove the agony.

Over and over again, the times that are staying at the forefront of my mind are the ones where I received relief because of Jesus alone. Last night during my petition for relief, God encouraged me to pray for the pain of others who were experiencing a greater portion. Not only was God able to strengthen my walk and dependence on Him through my temporary thorn but was able to be powerful in the lives of others who came to mind for whom I prayed. When praying for some temporary relief in our lives, God knows He has our utmost attention and will focus on Him intently. When we have been given relief there is an amazing remembrance of how God delivered power in that weakness. Without the thorns in our lives which drive us to our knees we tend to take for granted the power of God and all that it accomplishes. Without my tooth pain I wouldn’t have thought to pray for the pain of others at that moment.

Paul never did reveal his thorn, thus exalting the weakness but instead exalted the power in Christ during his weakness. We cannot live a life of victimization highlighting what has been done to us, how we have been wounded and what weakness we have to endure. We must instead relinquish the belief that life is without weakness and trials, and embrace the reality that our weaknesses will always usher in God’s power and greatness!