The Ministry Of Thorns

-The Greek word here is SKOLLOPS. The definition of the word is something pointed, sharp, the presence of a stake. Something that causes severe pain or constant irritation.

-It was something that Paul could never rid himself of. It was a malady, a weakness, a distraction that he would carry with him to the grave.

B. The Beauty of Thorns

-Thorns are invitations to courage.

Doors of Daring -- Henry van Dyke

The mountains that inclose the vale,

With walls of granite, steep and high,

Invite the fearless foot to scale

Their stairway to the sky.

The restless, deep, dividing sea

That flows and foams from shore to shore,

Calls to its sunburned chivalry,

“Push out, set sail, explore!”

The bars of life at which we fret,

That seem to prison and control,

Are but the doors of daring, set

Ajar before the soul.

Say not, “Too poor,” but freely give;

Sigh not, “Too weak,” but boldly try;

You never can begin to live

Until you dare to die.

-Until the presence of a thorn marks my life, I am just a shell of what God desires to do. At turn of Paul’s life, there was Satan to harass, annoy, depress, and hurt him. Yet, the thorn carries with it the evil of pain but also the good of pain.

-Satan can afford to leave some people alone, for he does not fear them. There are others that Satan constantly badgers and opposes for in doing so, he is endeavoring to thwart their impact on their world. He fears the result of their life getting entirely on track for God.

-In the process of thorn-bearing, as with all tribulations, God’s hand is in it just as well as Satan’s hand is in it.

Job 2:3 -- “And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.”

-In one aspect, the thorns are the messengers of Satan, in others, the messengers of God. It is all in who you listen to. Paul did not find fault with God, nor did he sit down in despair. He kept going, moving, driving, reaching, giving, in his pursuit of God.

1. Thorns Cause Men To Pray.

-The power of the thorn causes men to pray. It was here that the great apostle identifies his own desire to pray because of the pain of the thorn. Three times, he sought for the deliverance.

-He prayed persistently until God told him, “No, my grace is sufficient for your thorn.” Paul prayed specifically, “This thing that troubles me.” Some men pray in general and never get anything specific (these are generally those who do not pray or have not developed an ability to have a dialogue with God).

-Trouble and distress should drive us to God, instead of away from God. It should cause men to pray, not to complain. Yet, how often it is that we misappropriate the purpose of prayer. We approach the throne of grace and turn it into the judgement bar by accusing God and attempting to arraign Him.

-This principle is developed uniquely in the book of Nehemiah when he prays specifically because of the thorns in his own life.