Hope In Weakness Series

March 13, 2019

Hope Lutheran Church

Lenten Service

Psalm 91; 2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Hope in Weakness

Friends, may grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and Christ Jesus our Lord.

“For whenever I am weak, then I am strong,” (2 Corinthians 2:10).

St. Paul was no stranger to suffering. The book of Acts reads like an action novel as we travel along with the narrative of Paul’s missionary journeys. He was imprisoned on multiple occasions; he endured shipwreck; he suffered physical infirmity when he visited the Galatians. But the hallmark of St. Paul is that his hope never flagged. Our reading from 2 Corinthians ends with his gem: “For whenever I am weak, then I am strong.”

The demands of life have a way of grinding us down. Life is a marathon! It keeps coming at us, presenting us with demands and unexpected curve balls. When you sustain one setback after another, it’s hard to keep your spirits up.

Our near-record snowfall this winter has taught us that. One or two big dumps we can handle. But they just kept coming and coming and coming! We’re just plain done in by it all. After this last snowfall on Sunday, I knew it’s been an extraordinary winter when I was grateful that we received only six inches of snow! In any normal winter, that would have been a big storm.

But snowstorms and rain showers are nothing in comparison to life’s big challenges: prolonged illness, hard financial times, facing continual criticism from a mean boss, carrying a crushing load of unending duties and responsibilities. Life can be very discouraging.

When we feel weak and worn, it’s a struggle to stay in the game. Hope wanes. We’re tempted to throw in the towel and give up.

In our reading this evening from 2 Corinthians, we catch a glimpse of a prolonged challenge that dragged on St. Paul. He calls it a thorn in the flesh. There’s been endless speculation as to what this tribulation was. One line of reasoning is that he suffered from some ongoing physical malady. Some think that Paul suffered from a difficulty with his sight, for he writes that the Galatians were ready to tear out their own eyes and give them to Paul.

Others speculate that it was something of a more spiritual nature, a spiritual weakness. Paul says a messenger of Satan was sent to torment him. Perhaps he felt a pull of temptation? Maybe he was troubled by a perceived character flaw.

We don’t know what it is, and maybe not knowing is more powerful for us. We can insert our own struggle in its place. What is your thorn? What burden would you like to be relieved from? What malady sticks to you as persistent as a piece of statically charged cellophane? Imagine that Paul suffers from it, along with you.

Paul takes it to God in prayer. “Please, Lord, if it’s possible, could you relieve me from this thorn?”

Paul reflects on his life. He realizes just how blessed he is. In so many other ways, he has attained spiritual heights he never imagined possible. Spiritually, his life has soared into the heavens like a high-flying kite. But this one, nagging problem keeps him tethered to the ground.

Paul sees a relationship. Lest he become too boastful, does this thorn keep him grounded? A kite needs an earthly anchor. It can’t attain its tremendous heights without the tension provided by its anchor. Does Paul’s thorn do the same for him?

Nevertheless, he’d love nothing more than to be freed from it. He prays – not once, not twice – three times. “Dear Lord, deliver me from this evil.”

What makes the story of Paul’s thorn so powerful is that it’s so relatable. Who among us hasn’t done the same? That persistent, troubling problem that just won’t go away. It’s always in our prayers.

The profound answer Paul received was not what he expected. In fact, he receives two answers. The first one is this: “My grace is sufficient for you.”

God was saying to him, “Paul, you may have a very tough challenge. But I will never leave you with more than you can endure! My grace is sufficient for you. It will see you through.”

Several years ago I came across a story about a critically ill boy in a hospital. The school district in that particular city utilized a tutorial program for hospitalized students or when they had lengthy sick leaves. That way the children would stay up to date with the rest of their class.

So one of the tutors received a call to visit a boy in the hospital. The boy’s teacher had called her. The teacher gave her the boy’s name and his room number at the hospital.