LifeLink Devotions for Friday, September 16, 2024

For the third time in his second letter to the church at Corinth, the Apostle Paul addresses the subject of hardships. In his first reference to trials and trouble (2 Cor. 1:8-9) we learned that hardship is designed by God to teach us to trust Him. In his second reference to hardships, we learned that they are the measuring stick of our true Christ-like character. Now in this passage, Paul teaches us that hardships are how God controls our pride and keeps us humble.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 “To keep me from getting puffed up, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from getting proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me. Since I know it is all for Christ’s good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

In a moment of great transparency Paul reveals to us that he struggled with pride. Some may argue that telling the truth is not always prideful, but for Paul it would have been. The truth was that Paul had been granted a privilege that no other person has experienced since the ascension of Jesus into glory. He saw the risen Lord in person. Then he was taken up into glory to see things so astounding he was commanded by Jesus to not speak of them. Paul had every reason to boast about his spiritual experiences and to use them as a validation of his authority over the people of the local churches. But Paul also knew that his pride would soon cause him to displace God as the focus of His ministry and draw all of the attention to Himself. So he adds a qualifier at the end of his statement – “but I am not going to do it. I am going to boast only about my weaknesses.”

God also knew that Paul would struggle with pride, as we all do, so He gave Satan permission to torment Paul with a thorn in the flesh. We are not told what it was, and that’s a good thing. If we knew what the specific thorn was, then we might be tempted to believe that because we don’t have it we are not proud and don’t need to be humbled – which in itself is an indication of pride. The Holy Spirit does not tell us what the thorn is because He wants to teach us a principle – hardships are designed by God to keep us from becoming proud. Hardships reveal our weaknesses. Hardships reveal our inability to control life and its circumstances. Hardships reveal our need for companionship and comfort. Hardships humble us so that we see ourselves in relationship to the reality of God. Hardships allow the power of God to be fully expressed in us, because we finally admit that our power is useless to handle the hardship.

According to Paul, there are two ways live our lives each day: first, we can live them according to our own strengths and experiences, using our knowledge to determine the context and outcome of each event. In this choice, hardships are the opportunities provided to us to prove ourselves and to gain confidence in who we are. Or, second, we can live our lives humbly before God, recognizing that every hardship is an opportunity for God to prove Himself to us and for our faith in Him to grow.

Consider the two alternatives carefully. Paul says that the second option makes him the strongest. The rules of logic say this – if we are strongest when we admit we are weak, then we must be weakest when we think we are strong. If you are trying to accentuate your strengths and handle your hardships in your own abilities, you will be proven weak. You really don’t want to go there. But if you admit your weaknesses then the power of God is able to work through you and you will experience His strength. It all boils down to what our motives are – do we want recognition or do we want what Paul wanted – for the focus to be on God and not self. Remember what he said – “I don’t want anyone to think more highly of me than what they can actually see in my life and my message.” How you let God handle your hardships becomes the evidence ofyour faith.

Your present hardships, whether a temporary or a permanent thorn, are a gift from God to keep His power fully working in your life by reminding you of how weak you really are. Stop fighting it. Stop trying to fix it. God is using your weakness to reveal His power to you. Let your faith and trust in Him grow by letting go. His outcomes are perfect for His glory and your good. Trust His grace to be sufficient for you today and every day.

Pastor John