When God Brings You Low: The Gift of the Thorn
Most of us would never call pain a gift — but Paul did. After describing visions of paradise, he wrote: “To keep me from becoming conceited, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me.” (2 Corinthians 12:7)
We don’t know exactly what Paul’s thorn was — physical illness, persecution, or persistent opposition — but we know it hurt. And we know it humbled him. The same God who opened heaven also allowed a thorn to pierce His servant’s side.
Paul pleaded three times for relief and removal. God’s answer? “My grace is sufficient for you.” In other words: I’m not removing the pain; I’m revealing My power through it.
Charles Spurgeon once said, “I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages.” That’s what Paul learned. The thorn wasn’t punishment — it was protection. It kept pride from poisoning his ministry and drove him into deeper dependence on grace.
Perhaps you have your own thorn — a weakness that won’t go away, a prayer that hasn’t been answered, a struggle that won’t quit. It doesn’t mean God’s forgotten you. It may mean He’s forming you.
Steel is strengthened in the furnace. M.R. DeHaan illustrated it well: a five-dollar steel bar becomes worth thousands when hammered into watch springs. The more the hammer falls, the more valuable the metal becomes.
Your thorn might be the very tool God uses to refine your faith and make your life shine with His strength. Don’t waste it. Let grace do its work.
Apply this: Identify your thorn — physical pain, emotional scars, or limitations. Pray honestly for escape, but also for endurance and enlistment in God’s purposes. Boast not in stamina but in your Saviour. Practice daily dependence: Let prayer be first, not last. Use weaknesses for ministry, turning empathy into outreach.
In conclusion, grace doesn’t always remove the thorn; it redeems it. Weakness isn’t defeat — it’s the arena where God’s power triumphs.