This evening we are going to look at a passage of Scripture that is related to the subject matter of healing. In the Scripture we discover that our God is a God of healing. He says in Exodus 15:26, “I am the Lord who heals you.” We also read that Jesus Christ, God’s Son, heals us as well, for Isaiah 53:5 says, “By His stripes we are healed,” and 1 Peter 2:24 says, “By whose stripes you were healed.” In reference to Jesus, Malachi 4:2 tells us, “The Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings.” We know that these references to Jesus speak about our spiritual healing; however, the Lord does desire to heal us physically as well, or else James wouldn’t say, “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of Jesus” (James 4:14).
We know that the Lord is able to heal us physically; however, sometimes we just aren’t healed, and at other times we are only healed partially. Tonight we are going to look at one possible reason why we are sometimes not healed, as we examine an illness that the apostle Paul wrestled with for most of his Christian life. He struggled with what he called his “thorn in the flesh,” thus the title of our message for this evening – “A Thorn in the Flesh.” Let us now stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Paul said in verse 7 that he was given a “thorn in the flesh” in order to keep him humble in light of the recent revelations he had received. Paul had just received a revelation of heaven that was so grand and glorious that it can only be equaled by that of John’s, when he had his experience on the island of Patmos, in which he wrote the book of Revelation.
This thorn in the flesh “buffeted” Paul, meaning that it attacked him and beat him. He also said that it was an infirmity (v. 9), or it was a weakness or disease unto him. So, what was this thorn in the flesh, and what was the point for Paul enduring such hardship as a result of it? There are two clues that help us in understanding what this thorn in the flesh could have been. The first clue is found in the use of the word “infirmity,” and the second clue is seen in the phrase “a messenger of Satan.” We are going to explore both of these clues in an attempt to gain an understanding of this thing that Paul called a “thorn in the flesh.”
First off, Paul mentioned the thorn in the flesh as being an infirmity or sickness. This thorn in the flesh could have been a physical ailment. It has been suggested that Paul was suffering from a medical condition known as “acute opthalmia,” which is a problem with one’s eyesight due to exposure to extremely bright light.(1) In Acts chapter 9, verses 1-9, during his Damascus road experience, a bright light blinded Paul. Later on, in Acts 9:17, he was healed when a disciple named Ananias laid hands on him; however, it’s been suggested that God allowed this condition to return during times when it was absolutely necessary for Paul to fully lean on the Lord.
The basis for this speculation of Paul having an eye condition is derived from Galatians 4:13-15, in which Paul seems to be referring to his thorn in the flesh. In this passage Paul said, “You know that because of physical infirmity I preached the gospel to you . . . And my trial which was in my flesh you did not despise or reject, but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. What then was the blessing you enjoyed? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me.”
We find here that in relation to Paul mentioning a physical infirmity, he said to the Galatians, “I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me,” indicating that this infirmity could have been a sight issue. Then in Galatians 6:11 Paul said, “See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand,” indicating that he had to write in large letters in order to see what he was writing.
Secondly, Paul mentioned the thorn in the flesh as being a messenger of Satan. In Job chapter 1, verses 6-12, we find where the Lord allowed Satan to test Job for his faithfulness. The Scripture tells us that God had a hedge of protection around Job (1:10), but that He removed it in order for Satan to test him. I think we are all familiar with the concept of afflictions being “allowed” by God, and this is what the Lord apparently allowed to happen to Paul. At certain times He chose to remove the hedge of protection from Paul so that a “messenger of Satan” could come and buffet him with some kind of an illness.
Paul’s thorn in the flesh visited him as an answer to his pride. Pride is often viewed in the Bible as something sinful. In fact, The Handbook for Spiritual Warfare tells us, “Pride is the root cause of all sin in heaven and earth,”(2) and if you don’t believe this then look through the Scripture. It was pride that motivated people to build the tower of Babel (Genesis 11:4), and it was pride that resulted in Lucifer rebelling against God and getting kicked out of heaven (Isaiah 14:12-15). It was pride that caused Peter to declare that he would never deny the Lord Jesus, even when Jesus said that he would (Mark 14:29), and it was pride that made the disciples argue amongst themselves as to who would be the greatest in the kingdom (Mark 9:33-34). Pride is truly a sin, and I believe it could very well be the “root” of all sin.
It only makes sense that Paul said that this thorn in the flesh was the result of “a messenger of Satan,” because it was the result of the sin of pride. There were times when Paul wasn’t as affected by this illness, as at other times. The illness came and went as Paul’s prideful attitude came and went. When he suffered from this illness, it was a red flag, or a warning, that he needed to search his heart for any possible sin, and then confess that sin to the Lord. It was a warning to think about his behavior, and to correct it “if need be.”
I state “if need be” because we know that not all illness, and not all bad things are the result of our own sin. Sometimes we become the victims of someone else’s sin, and then at other times bad things just happen. Still, when we suffer from an illness it is a good idea to do some thorough introspection and search our heart for any hidden or known sin, and if we find any sin to confess it to the Lord so that we can be forgiven and cleansed (1 John 1:9).
You are probably well aware that we often experience a physical response to our spiritual and psychological state of being. This is most evident in relation to how our bodies respond to stress. In an article entitled “The Effects of Stress on Physical Illness,” it is stated that “approximately 50 percent of all general medical patients are suffering from stress related problems, [and] several studies conducted confirm that stress is positively correlated with incidences of physical illness.” Also, “a study looking at wound repair found that [people] who were under significantly more stress . . . took and average of nine days longer to heal.”(3)
I believe the way we react and respond to stress can often be the result of a sinful attitude and sinful behavior. For example, if we commit the sin of worry then we will develop health problems such as ulcers and heart disease. This passage has caused me to look at myself and be completely honest before God. When I look at myself, I believe that I have my own thorn in the flesh. If I become overly stressed out, then I have pain in my liver, and the response is immediate.
Now why do people become stressed? It is because they are taking too much of the burden on themselves instead of learning to cast all their cares upon the Lord, as we read about in 1 Peter 5:7. It is because they have failed to heed Jesus’ call when He says, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
Whenever my liver begins to hurt it becomes an immediate red flag that causes me to ask myself, “What are you doing that is causing you to be stressed out? In what way are you trying to do too much by yourself?” When I lean on God the pain goes away, but as soon as I become stressed it comes back. So, if we are experiencing a lingering illness that comes and goes, we should take a close look at ourselves and do a sin check. And in order to be honest with God and with ourselves, we must humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord whenever we examine our hearts.
Think about Paul’s sin of pride for a moment. Pride is the result of us trying to rely on ourselves. If you get right down to it, most sin is the result of us relying too heavily on ourselves. Relying on ourselves is the opposite of what God wants us to do, which is to rely totally on Him. Paul’s thorn in the flesh was given to him to keep him humble, and to keep him relying on God.
In verse 9 we see that the thorn in the flesh caused Paul to rest on God’s grace. And what is grace? It is defined as unmerited divine favor, or a gift from God. Grace is also the power we receive from God to accomplish the humanly impossible. Whenever the Lord calls us to serve Him, most of the tasks will be too big for us to accomplish in our own strength. Even so, many of us still attempt to serve God through our own power, and then we blunder things up and we get in the way of the Lord. When we operate in our own strength it is sin. If we desire that our efforts for the Lord be blessed, and if we desire for them to be successful, then we must operate in God’s grace. We must stop trying to operate in our own abilities, and begin leaning on the strength that comes from the Lord.
Paul was given this thorn in the flesh to cause him to realize that he needed to lean on the Lord. When Paul was stripped of his own strength and made weak, it was then and only then that true strength, or God’s strength, rested on him. If Paul had been allowed to serve the Lord in his own strength then all the glory would have gone to Paul, but when he was forced to operate in God’s strength, the Lord received all glory, honor, and praise (1 Corinthians 1:27-29).
Paul said in verses 9 and 10 that he “boasted in” and he “took pleasure in” his infirmities. Now, what’s the first thing we usually do whenever we get sick? We complain, and we sometimes ask God where He’s at. We might say, “Why, oh God, have you forsaken me?”
I think we can see why Paul found a reason to rejoice. Not only did he realize that God’s strength was on him when he was weak; but the presence of his thorn in the flesh – being allowed by God – showed Paul that God was at work. In a sense, the Lord was speaking to him through his illness. In a way, God was saying to Paul, “Hey, do you notice that your illness has returned? I am trying to tell you something. Your pride has returned. I want you to rely on me instead of yourself.”
We tend to ask God where He’s at in the midst of our illness, when the very presence of it could prove that He is at work. That encourages me, because I know that whenever I am experiencing liver pain that the Lord is speaking to me. The pain we experience may be the result of sin, and a messenger from Satan may be buffeting us; but Satan has no power except what he has been allowed by God. Satan is just a pawn. Whenever we experience our own thorn in the flesh, then we should rejoice in knowing that God is at work.
Time of Reflection
If you are suffering from a recurring illness, I want to encourage you to humble yourself before God and ask yourself, “Is my illness triggered by, or made worse by something in my surroundings?” “Is my illness triggered by stress, or by the way that I react to certain situations or to certain people?” If so, then ask yourself, “Is my response related to sin in any way?” If you can answer yes, then in order to receive relief you need to confess your sin before the Lord.” 1 John 1:9 tells us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I believe that we will not only be “cleansed of our sins” when we confess them, but that we will receive “relief and healing from our illness” as well.
Now, if you truly search your heart and you can’t identify some sin-related cause to your illness, please do not beat yourself up and begin worrying about whether or not you are prideful, or begin worrying about whether or not you are worrying. You may not be to blame for your illness. If this is the case, all I can recommend is that you cast all your cares upon the Lord, and trust Him as best you can, knowing “that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
Sin can lead to physical illness, but sin is an illness in and of itself, and the Bible tells us that sin leads to an eternal death (Roman 6:23) and separation from God (Isaiah 59:2). If you are here this evening and you have not received Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord, then you are dying in your sins. The only cure for the disease of sin is the pure blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on the cross for the forgiveness of sins (Matthew 26:28). In order to be forgiven of your sins and receive eternal life, you must confess your sins (1 John 1:9) and you must also confess Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord (Romans 10:9).
NOTES
(1) M. G. Easton, “Thorn in the Flesh,” Easton’s Bible Dictionary (Oak Harbor, WA: 1996), taken from Logos 2.1E on CD-ROM.
(2) Ed. Murphy, The Handbook for Spiritual Warfare (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1996), p. 377.
(3) “The Effects of Stress on Physical Illness,” taken from the Internet March 2005 at http://www.free-essays.us/dbase/c3/vrk160.shtml.
