That thing…that thorn.

We all have something…

I know I do.

There are situations and circumstances that don’t seem to go away. It seems to linger in our lives. It causes distress and is annoying. As much as we want it to go away, lessen, cease or stop – God keeps it before us. Right in front of us.

It stays in our thoughts.

Sometimes it becomes manifested in our actions.

It keeps us on our knees and in prayer.

It makes us recognize there is a God and He is the ONLY one who can handle it.

I’m not sure what your “thorn” issue is – but I’m sure if you have an active relationship with God you have one. It helps us to stay grounded and nonjudgmental of others. It helps us not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought.

I love how the Message Bible explains this “state” of men/women in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10:

“Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.”

The “gift” of a handicap.

On that note – Let us pray…

Lord, we come humbly recognizing and confessing there are gifts of challenges placed before us which remind us as good or great as we think we are – we are not you. We are not God. Please accept our apology for even having the audacity to think we are. Help us Lord to fully recognize your positions as Alpha and Omega, All Powerful, All Knowing and All Seeing. Thank you for the gift of our limitations which keeps us in check, on track and prayerful. Thank you for reigning in our lives. Thank you for being God.

In the mighty name of Jesus we pray… Amen