Devotions

Paul wrote two moving and fascinating passages that I want to look at here. “You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first” (Galatians 4:13, ESV). “Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this [thorn], that it should leave me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12.8-9).

The apostle Paul, man of God, power preacher, church planter, author of two-thirds of the New Testament, was also a person suffering terribly from what is pictured in the Bible as a thorn in the flesh. What could it be? For two millennia, theologians have remained divided on the exact manner of this infirmity. Was it a physical disability, an emotional problem, a spiritual problem? Was it chronic depression or medical issues caused by intense persecution? We will probably never know.

However, I would like to suggest that the nature of Paul's thorn in the flesh was deliberately left vague. That way, we can consider our own major challenges and make God's promises our own. The ‘thorn’ represents the father who has inherited a generational vulnerability to alcohol or other addictive substances. It is the mother who grew up in a home where depression reigned and who worries that she’s also at risk. It is the stroke that sweeps away a parent’s autonomy in an instant and upsets the balance of an entire family. It is sterility for a young couple. This is the eating disorder of a young teenager. These are panic attacks. It is the illness of a young child that blurs the future of a family. It is the rebellion of a young adult that undermines the hearts of his parents. It is the abuses of childhood that haunt your adult life.

Personalize it: my thorn in the flesh is __________. Take up the promise that God gave Paul! “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

God revealed to Paul, and to each one of us, that he is not limited by our faults, struggles or wounds. On the contrary, he will use our thorns to glorify himself and accomplish his plans for our lives and loved ones.

_{Claude Houde is the lead pastor of Eglise Nouvelle Vie (New Life Church) in Montreal, Canada. Under his leadership New Life Church has grown from a handful of people to more than 3500 in a part of Canada with few successful Protestant churches.} 

The Holy Spirit gave David the key to deliverance from his sorrows. David could say, “The reason God delivered me is that I am precious to him. My God delights in me!”

“He also brought me out into a broad place; he delivered me because he delighted in me” (Psalm 18:19, NKJV).

In Song of Solomon, the Lord says of his bride, “How fair and how pleasant you are, O love, with your delights” (Song of Solomon 7:6)! In turn, the bride boasts, “I am my beloved’s, and his desire is toward me” (Song of Solomon 7:10). These same thoughts are also found throughout the psalms. “For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he will beautify the humble with salvation” (Psalm 149:4).

You may think “That’s sweet, but it’s only a lovely concept.” No, this truth is much more than that. It is the key to your deliverance from every battle that rages in your soul. Until you lay hold of it, you won’t be able to withstand the trials of life.

Isaiah wrote of God’s great delight in us. “But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you’” (Isaiah 43:1-2).

Isaiah wasn’t talking about literal natural disasters. He was referring to what we go through spiritually and mentally. These were all Satan’s attempts to overwhelm and destroy God’s people. Isaiah’s words were a message of mercy to Israel. The people were in captivity because of their own stupidity and foolishness, but God sent them a brokenhearted prophet who said, “You belong to God.”

The Lord does not always calm the waters, but he does promise this: “I will walk with you through it all. This trial or circumstance will not destroy you. Walk on! You’ll come out on the other side with me beside you.”

“If you ask anything in my name, I will do it” (John 14:14, NKJV). We show the measure of our Christ by what we ask in his name. We are told to ask large and to expect great things. We show forth the greatness of Christ by the greatness of our requests. We have so little of Christ because we ask so little.

We limit our petitions to material things. It’s true that we are to make our needs known, but to ask only for food and shelter is to diminish our vision of his greatness.

The kingdom of God is “joy and peace in the Holy Ghost!” We serve a triumphant Christ, and we are called to share in the triumph. Do you have joy and peace in the Holy Ghost? Do you go to his throne and ask the Father “in the name of Jesus?”

God wants us to think big and ask big. Asking “in Jesus’ name” is an invitation to share in God’s great goodness laid up for those who believe.

What about the hungry crowd of 5,000 in the New Testament when Jesus asked his disciples what they should do? He said, “Show me your plan to feed them. What can be done to meet this crisis?” Jesus already had a plan, but he was testing their faith. Who could have conceived of feeding that mass of people with five loaves of bread and two fish?

God will not tell us what his plan is. He will not even give us a hint. He insists on our having faith in his promises, his majesty, his past miracles on our behalf. His word to us is “Believe!” Your Lord has a way prepared, and he has the power to fulfill his plan.

Faith is evidence that cannot be seen. There can be no rest for us in our fiery trials until we believe he stands ready to do the unthinkable, the impossible. Our part is to simply trust that he will perform what he has promised.

“Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20 NKJV).

We are all pressed down by problems and distress, but Paul has given us the answer when he tells us to “do it unto the Father.” The great preacher John Calvin said that singing and giving thanks always is all feigning and hypocrisy unless we are fully persuaded that God is our Father.

Often we don’t feel like giving thanks, and we can’t sing. Dire circumstances shatter our spirits. There are times the heart cries, “Lord, do you really expect me to sing and make melody when I hurt so badly? I am so burdened down with cares that I can barely lift my head. It’s hard to praise and speak hymns in my heart. There is too much fear, grief and doubt.”

God is not severe with us when we hurt. We are his children, and these words are given us to find solace and relief in such times. We become so focused on our difficulties that we lose more than our song. We drift further and further away from God’s eternal promises. In spite of all we face, our Lord says, “Give thanks always.”

It is easy to become ungrateful for all he has done in the past. We get swallowed up in praying only for ourselves, our needs and our families. We cannot lift up our eyes and see those who are suffering much more than we are. I am convicted when I think about this. I want to face tomorrow determined to sing to the Lord and give thanks each day for all things and in all things. It may be a weak, inaudible song, but there is a divine, supernatural power in doing it.

God has heard your cry, and he is working out the solution even now! Continue giving thanks always and never stop singing love songs to our precious Lord and Savior.

Some time ago, I had an unusual experience while in meditation with the Lord. His still, small voice asked me, “Do you still believe? Do you still believe I love you unconditionally…that you are right now being led by the Holy Spirit…that I bottle every tear you shed…that you are right now in this place, in the perfect will of God?

“Do you believe all things still work together for good to those who love me…that I hear your prayers, even when you have no audible words to express them, when all seems dark, and fear grips your mind and soul? Do you believe this even when it seems I have shut the heavens to you?

“David, do you still believe I feed all living things: the fish of the sea, the cattle, the fowls and all creeping things? Do you still believe I count every hair on your head and that I take note of every fallen bird on the earth? Do you truly believe that?

“Do you still believe when death comes to your loved ones? Do you still believe what you have testified, that I give comfort and strength to face even the grave?

“Do you still believe that I love you, that I have forgiven all your past and present sins, you, and I will forgive all future sins if you rest and trust in me? Do you believe I understand when Satan sends his messengers against you to plant lies, doubts, blasphemies, fears and despair?

“Do you still believe you are in the palm of my hand, that you are more precious than gold to your Savior, that eternal life is your future, that there is no power that can pluck you out of my hand, that I still am touched by every sickness and affliction you endure? Do you still believe these things are true?”

My answer is emphatically yes! Yes, Lord, I still believe it all and more, much more!

Read all of Psalm 103 and ask yourself, “Do I believe it? All of it?”