Sunday, May 4, 2014 - 2 Corinthians 12:6-10

[Tek7]

For if I want to boast, I will not be a fool, because I will be telling the truth. But I will spare you, so that no one can credit me with something beyond what he sees in me or hears from me, especially because of the extraordinary revelations. Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so I would not exalt myself. Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times to take it away from me. But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, catastrophes, persecutions, and in pressures, because of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:6-10, HCSB

Many Christians cling to their faith when life is going well or when they have hope that a problem in their life, whether physical, emotional, financial, or social, will be resolved. But what happens when the years drag on and we consider that God, in His sovereign purposes, may not grant us the resolution we so desperately want?

For Paul, the answer was to believe in God's statement that His grace was sufficient. We don't know the specifics of Paul's "thorn in the flesh" because we don't need to. If we needed to know, it would be in the Bible. Regardless of the nature of Paul's affliction, he decided to not only persevere, but also use his weakness to pursue Christ's purposes all the more.

Maybe God will fix what's broken in our lives. But maybe He won't. If he didn't, would we still stick around and see our faith through to the end? Would we, like Paul, reach the end of our lives and be able to boldly and legitimately claim that we had lived a life of faithful service?

It's a gut-wrenching question and I don't mean for anyone to answer quickly or even post a reply at all. But I pray it stirs others to examine their motives behind reading Scripture, praying, and serving in a local church, just as I struggle with the passage myself.