The Apostle Paul asked God three times to remove a serious physical handicap, a nasty jabbing “thorn in his flesh,” which left him feeling weak and inadequate to the task of preaching the gospel. Like all of us, Paul wanted his circumstances right so he could do his job properly. Surely there is nothing wrong with that? So he prayed hard, Lord, please get rid of this thorn.
The Lord’s answer
Paul finally received an answer. It was not the answer he was expecting. The Lord told him flatly that He would not remove the thorn. The Lord wanted Paul to live with this handicap. It was the Lord’s will that Paul should remain weak. But not for weakness’ sake. The Lord’s purpose was to weaken Paul’s dependence on his own strength, his own wisdom, his own intellect. The Lord wanted Paul to minister and live out of his weakness, not on his strength. The Lord was giving Paul a general principle. The Lord allows adversity to enter our experience: not for the purpose of making us weak and incapable of going on with our lives, but for the purpose of enabling us by His strength to do what otherwise would be impossible.
It is difficult to accept
From the Lord’s perspective, it was more important for Paul to experience divine power than it was for him to live a pain-free, adversity-free life. The closer we look at Paul’s life the more difficult that is to accept. He was stoned and left for dead, shipwrecked, beaten, bitten by a snake, and imprisoned — all for Christ’s sake. But when all was said and done, Paul’s response was, I take pleasure in infirmities, in distresses, for when I am weak, then am I strong (II Cor. 12:10) . So how do we reconcile Paul’s claim to weakness with his amazing accomplishments? Simple. The energy and zeal required to accomplish the Lord’s will must come from Him and be manifestly greater than anything we could do in our own strength.
Working through our weakness
God wants to work through our weaknesses. Some of us may have been born with characteristics which we consider weaknesses. Some of us might feel that we have been born into a family that did not provide us with the things we think are necessary for success. Sometimes a tragedy or illness has left us wondering about our usefulness or self-worth. Maybe poverty or unemployment is sapping our self-esteem. We may think our situation is simply hopeless. If any of these situations sound familiar to you, then rejoice: you are just the type of person God is interested in! He is looking for people through whom He can show His mighty power. He is looking for men and women who are willing to take on challenges too difficult for them to handle by themselves. They have to trust God to help them through. God wants us to be people who grow accustomed to weakness, but who draw daily upon the sufficiency and power of our God through Christ.
God’s opportunity
Brothers and sisters, I would like you to think about this: your greatest weakness is the Lord’s opportunity to demonstrate His power and glory. So instead of complaining and begging God to change the circumstances or adversities you are in, why not ask God to fill that void with His strength? God’s power will be perfected in us if we learn to depend upon His strength. All we have to do now is to make ourselves available to Him, for when we are weak, He is strong.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One