As surely as sparks rise upward from the fire, you and I can count on trouble in our lives. That’s what Job tells us, and that’s been my experience.
Maybe you’ve heard that there are only two things we can count on in this life: death and taxes. I’d like to add a third: trouble. Even if your life is a bed of roses at the moment, you can be certain there are some thorns coming your way.
But the question I want us to answer today is: How do we learn to live with the thorns in our lives?
In his second letter to the disciples of Jesus in the Greek city of Corinth, Paul shares with his friends what he refers to as a “thorn in the flesh.” If you take the time to read his story in chapter twelve of that letter, you will discover three things about Paul’ thorn. And I might add, about our thorns as well. I want to share the first of those things with you today.
Paul plainly tells us that God allowed him thorn to keep him humble.
Lest you think of God as an Orge, perched on the clouds, bow in hand, notching and releasing thorns in the direction of his often frail and foolish children, I want to think with me about times when life’s thorns actually helped you draw nearer to your Lord. I can tell you that I’m a better servant of Christ as a result of some painful thorns. Some of those thorns I brought on myself. Others, not so much.
I’m mentoring a young man from Zambia. He is a refuge in our country, having escaped a threatening situation in his homeland. We met the other day, and he shared with me how the blessings of living in the United States actually served to lead him away from the Lord. I won’t go into details, but God allowed some thorns to grow in his American garden. The result was he recommitted his life to Christ. He is seeking, once again, to pursue a calling to ministry that he experienced many years ago.
As he shared his story with me, I thought to myself, God is good. So good that he allows some thorns to grow in our otherwise comfortable life gardens. And like my young friend, he allows those thorns to remind us that he is the source our life; he is the source of our hope and strength.
That’s why Paul says what he does in 2 Corinthians 12:10 - “For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Cry out to Jesus as that painful thorn pierces the deep places of your soul and you will find that your Lord has all the strength you need to endure that painful thorn.
In Christ,
Dan
In my book Masterpiece in the Making: Life Lessons for Spiritual Growth, I share about some of my thorns and the deep struggles God used to make me a better disciple of Jesus. The book can be found here.
These devotionals are often like oil poured out, like Balm in a frenetic and painful world. The words of comfort and acceptance to the young stumbling follower of Jesus are a miracle in our performance driven culture. The spector of excommunication keeps too many in painful silence as they struggle with issues, and every issue is so common to man. When they excavated Pompeii they found images so pornographic that they caution bringing children on a tour. Common to man. It is good to be hedged in by thorns. It is good for young men and women to put their mouths in the dust and learn to hunger and thirst for the kingdom of God. And it is good to find tender hearted men and women like you, Pastor Armistead, to speak words of comfort and tender admonition to precious young people. They are the future.