God Uses Thorns Series

2 Cor 10:10 For some say, "His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing."

Ever wonder what Paul actually looked like? You don’t have to wonder because history gives us a description. The oldest description of Paul comes from an early church father who wrote that “Paul was small in stature, bald headed, bow legged, vigorous physique, with leading eyebrows and a slightly hooked nose and …" one other thing I’ll tell you latter

Paul was no Cary Grant – more like Danny Devito! Whatever the thorn actually was we know that is was something that Paul desperately wanted to get rid of. Perhaps the thorn was not specifically named and described so that each one of us could relate to his experience. You see all of us have thorns in our lives. Your thorn is the area in your life you are the most vulnerable or most defeated. Maybe it is a relationship or physical matter. Maybe it is depression or a bad habit.

Whatever it is, this passage says several things about how to deal with thorns in your life:

1. ACCEPT YOUR THORNS – there was given me

A gem is not polished without rubbing, nor a man made perfect without trials. -- Chinese Proverb

When author and speaker John Orberg was just out of seminary and first attempted preaching he fainted in the middle of his message. Can you imagine that! It is bad if others fall asleep but when you are talking but in this case HE fell asleep. The next time he tried the same thing happened. He was speaking in a Baptist church – not charismatic when that is a good thing! You just can’t preach effectively when you keep fainting. There was no physical explanation. Every time he preached he didn’t know if he’d make it. People started coming just to see if he would fall – like people going to the Indy 500 just to watch the crashes. He says that every time he now speaks there is always the dependency on God for every word.

Paul begged God to take the thorn away three times. This was not just a casual request. To pray 3 times means desperation as it also was with Jesus in the garden. Paul pleaded with the Lord. He poured out his heart. He had faced so much for Jesus yet when he prays “God why do you leave me in pain” heaven is silent. Imagine Paul’s disappointment.

Finally God does speak, but it was probably not what Paul was expecting. He said "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" God was not offering thorn removal but grace to live with the thorn.

What is grace? It is the offer of God’s pleasure. It means salvation but not just that. Not just the promise of forgiveness but the promise of God’s favor no matter what. It means God’s presence and power. Before Paul met Jesus he certainly was not known for his grace:

Acts 8:3 Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison

All this changed when he met Jesus. He was transformed by God’s grace. When Paul would write a letter he would always begin with "Grace and peace to you". His last recorded words are "Grace be with you". From beginning to end, from top to bottom he was changed by God’s grace. Paul stopped praying to take the thorn away because he recognized that the fruit of that thorn was grace in his life.