2Cor 12:7 | KingComments | STEP | . Paul had an exceptionally outstanding experience of which he could be very proud. Someone said once: ‘It is not dangerous to be in the third heaven but to have been there.’ In order that he is not conceited by “the surpassing greatness of the revelations” God gave him a bodyguard as a preventive. And what kind of bodyguard. It was “a messenger of Satan” to torment [literally beat] him. That was not a pleasant company. Since no less than fourteen years this servant of satan accompanied him. This messenger or angel of satan caused to him “a thorn in the flesh”. No one would like to go near a thorn bush, for it will cause only pain. The angel of satan saw to it that the pain had a lasting effect and he did not do it gently. Paul felt as if he was beaten with fists. Some say that this thorn meant a disease in his eyes. This is deduced from Galatians 6 ( ). It could also be a speech impediment as deduced by some from chapter 10 of the letter which we are dealing with at the moment ( ). . Anyway it was something that constantly reminded him of his own weaknesses. He would be happy to have been delivered from it, for he prayed for it, even three times. The Lord did not answer that prayer but He gave him a balm for the pain, namely, His grace. What a comfort and an encouragement this answer has been for many through the centuries! Even today the comfort derived from this answer is still available undiminished to you. May be you are also bearing something that you would like to get rid of and despite your earnest prayers the long awaited deliverance has not yet come. I trust that you can say from experience that the Lord said to you also: “My grace is sufficient for you.” Have you already prayed for more than three times and yet you have not received the answer? Does it seem that that your prayer would not be answered? Then I may point you to a man who also had a very difficult life. He is none other than Jeremiah. He was sitting right in the midst of suffering. Yet he says in Lamentations 3: “For the Lord will not reject forever, for if He causes grief, then He will have compassion according to His abundant lovingkindness. For He does not afflict willingly or grieve the sons of men” ( ). This is the language of faith, the language you also can speak. The greatest victory that satan can win is that we begin to doubt the love of God because He does not give what we ask for. We must not allow him this victory. God uses your problem to keep you small and weak so that He can manifest His power fully in your weakness. You must understand that everyone who serves Him will always have something which keeps him weak in his life. This is God’s way to keep us from pride and that we do not forget that we need Him in all things. Incidentally, these verses do not mean that we are allowed to pray only three times for a thing. The Bible is full of exhortations to persevere in prayer. See for instance the parable the Lord Jesus tells in Luke 18 ( ). These verses make it clear that God allows certain things in your life to keep you humble. You prayed several times for a thing, but after a certain period you are convinced that you should not pray further about it because He considers that it is better you live with it. At the same time you will experience His help and strength in a way which you would not have learnt otherwise. . This prompts Paul to say that he is well content with weaknesses. Were they not opportunities in which Christ’s power became visible in his life? He would gladly do and suffer anything for the sake of Christ. He was always very happy to see less of himself and more of Christ. He practiced what John the baptist says in John 3: “He must increase, but I must decrease” ( ). If this is the deepest desire of your heart you will want to go through trials and afflictions to show thereby how weak you are and how strong Christ is. When you are weak in the face of all these difficulties then you are strong, for the power of Christ dwells in you. The power of Christ takes possession of you, because you cannot overcome difficulties in your own strength. I would like to come back to Paul’s three time prayer. This is reminiscent of the three time prayer of the Lord Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. We find this in Matthew 26, Mark 14 and Luke 22 ( ; ; ). There He asks His Father three times if it would be possible that the cup, i.e. the judgment on the cross, pass from Him. Of course there is a big difference between this prayer and that of Paul. Paul prayed that he might be delivered from something which kept him from pride. This makes clear that sin was present in Paul and its action was to be restrained. But the case with the Lord Jesus was different. In Him there was no sin. That is why He prayed to the Father so, because He did not like to come in contact with sin. The horror of the cup that the Lord had to drink was that He had to be made sin and that He had to take upon Himself the sins of all those who believed and all those who are going to believe and thereby suffer God’s full judgment. It was impossible for Him to long for that. With Paul it was his imperfection that led him to pray; with the Lord Jesus it was His perfection that made Him to supplicate. Another point to note is what the Lord Jesus immediately added to His prayer: “Yet not as I will, but as You will.” He was in complete agreement with the way the Father decided for Him. He never wanted to choose a way other than what the Father decided for Him, but He abhorred the prospect of coming into contact with sin which would cause a separation between Him and His God. That is the reason for His prayer. After that prayer there is perfect peace in His heart and then He allows His enemies to capture Him to accomplish the whole work He was destined to finish saying: “The cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?” ( ). It will enrich your faith life and your prayer life when you learn to say: ‘Not my will but Yours be done.’ The submissiveness of your will to the will of God is the secret of peace in your heart in the midst of so many things that you wish were different. Now read 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 again. Reflection: Do you have ‘a thorn in the flesh’ in your life? What do you think of God’s will for you?

‏ 2 Corinthians 12:7

My Grace Is Sufficient for You

2Cor 12:7. Paul had an exceptionally outstanding experience of which he could be very proud. Someone said once: ‘It is not dangerous to be in the third heaven but to have been there.’ In order that he is not conceited by “the surpassing greatness of the revelations” God gave him a bodyguard as a preventive. And what kind of bodyguard. It was “a messenger of Satan” to torment [literally beat] him. That was not a pleasant company. Since no less than fourteen years this servant of satan accompanied him.

This messenger or angel of satan caused to him “a thorn in the flesh”. No one would like to go near a thorn bush, for it will cause only pain. The angel of satan saw to it that the pain had a lasting effect and he did not do it gently. Paul felt as if he was beaten with fists. Some say that this thorn meant a disease in his eyes. This is deduced from Galatians 6 (Gal 6:11). It could also be a speech impediment as deduced by some from chapter 10 of the letter which we are dealing with at the moment (2Cor 10:10).

2Cor 12:8-9. Anyway it was something that constantly reminded him of his own weaknesses. He would be happy to have been delivered from it, for he prayed for it, even three times. The Lord did not answer that prayer but He gave him a balm for the pain, namely, His grace.

What a comfort and an encouragement this answer has been for many through the centuries! Even today the comfort derived from this answer is still available undiminished to you. May be you are also bearing something that you would like to get rid of and despite your earnest prayers the long awaited deliverance has not yet come. I trust that you can say from experience that the Lord said to you also: “My grace is sufficient for you.”

Have you already prayed for more than three times and yet you have not received the answer? Does it seem that that your prayer would not be answered? Then I may point you to a man who also had a very difficult life. He is none other than Jeremiah. He was sitting right in the midst of suffering. Yet he says in Lamentations 3: “For the Lord will not reject forever, for if He causes grief, then He will have compassion according to His abundant lovingkindness. For He does not afflict willingly or grieve the sons of men” (Lam 3:31-33). This is the language of faith, the language you also can speak.

The greatest victory that satan can win is that we begin to doubt the love of God because He does not give what we ask for. We must not allow him this victory. God uses your problem to keep you small and weak so that He can manifest His power fully in your weakness. You must understand that everyone who serves Him will always have something which keeps him weak in his life. This is God’s way to keep us from pride and that we do not forget that we need Him in all things.

Incidentally, these verses do not mean that we are allowed to pray only three times for a thing. The Bible is full of exhortations to persevere in prayer. See for instance the parable the Lord Jesus tells in Luke 18 (Lk 18:1-8). These verses make it clear that God allows certain things in your life to keep you humble. You prayed several times for a thing, but after a certain period you are convinced that you should not pray further about it because He considers that it is better you live with it. At the same time you will experience His help and strength in a way which you would not have learnt otherwise.

2Cor 12:10. This prompts Paul to say that he is well content with weaknesses. Were they not opportunities in which Christ’s power became visible in his life? He would gladly do and suffer anything for the sake of Christ. He was always very happy to see less of himself and more of Christ. He practiced what John the baptist says in John 3: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (Jn 3:30).

If this is the deepest desire of your heart you will want to go through trials and afflictions to show thereby how weak you are and how strong Christ is. When you are weak in the face of all these difficulties then you are strong, for the power of Christ dwells in you. The power of Christ takes possession of you, because you cannot overcome difficulties in your own strength.

I would like to come back to Paul’s three time prayer. This is reminiscent of the three time prayer of the Lord Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. We find this in Matthew 26, Mark 14 and Luke 22 (Mt 26:36-46; Mk 14:32-42; Lk 22:39-46). There He asks His Father three times if it would be possible that the cup, i.e. the judgment on the cross, pass from Him.

Of course there is a big difference between this prayer and that of Paul. Paul prayed that he might be delivered from something which kept him from pride. This makes clear that sin was present in Paul and its action was to be restrained. But the case with the Lord Jesus was different. In Him there was no sin. That is why He prayed to the Father so, because He did not like to come in contact with sin.

The horror of the cup that the Lord had to drink was that He had to be made sin and that He had to take upon Himself the sins of all those who believed and all those who are going to believe and thereby suffer God’s full judgment. It was impossible for Him to long for that. With Paul it was his imperfection that led him to pray; with the Lord Jesus it was His perfection that made Him to supplicate.

Another point to note is what the Lord Jesus immediately added to His prayer: “Yet not as I will, but as You will.” He was in complete agreement with the way the Father decided for Him. He never wanted to choose a way other than what the Father decided for Him, but He abhorred the prospect of coming into contact with sin which would cause a separation between Him and His God. That is the reason for His prayer. After that prayer there is perfect peace in His heart and then He allows His enemies to capture Him to accomplish the whole work He was destined to finish saying: “The cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?” (Jn 18:11).

It will enrich your faith life and your prayer life when you learn to say: ‘Not my will but Yours be done.’ The submissiveness of your will to the will of God is the secret of peace in your heart in the midst of so many things that you wish were different.

Now read 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 again.

Reflection: Do you have ‘a thorn in the flesh’ in your life? What do you think of God’s will for you?