Thorn Ministry

Written by Marsha Pope

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“To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.  Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

This opportunity to write devotionals has by far been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I’ve been so richly blessed by those that have shared how the devotionals have blessed their lives and how they’ve shared them with friends and family. My greatest hope is that God would be glorified and that His people will be blessed by what I write.

God gave me the inspiration to write this devotional during one of the most difficult seasons of my life. It was difficult in the sense that I struggled with the fact that in the midst of what was happening to me, it seemed like the Holy Spirit was giving me inspiration to write like never before.

You’d think I would be happy about receiving a revelation from God to write; especially, since I’m a writer! But during that time it was difficult for me to find the strength to express my thoughts verbally let alone write a devotional. Nevertheless, I continued to journal scripture notes as God gave them to me. One day, I was trying to understand what God was saying to me and was reminded of Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. As I read those scriptures, it came to me. Paul had a thorn ministry.

I continued to dig deeper into the text, asking God to give me a greater revelation of what he was saying to me. The more I read, the more I understood Paul’s words in this passage. He was one of the most influential early Christians, writing over one-third of the bible. Many sermons have been preached about his amazing transformation and churches today still model his apostolic ministry.

Paul did AMAZING things for the Kingdom of God, but in this passage he is experiencing what it’s like to have a thorn ministry. His life models to us that although he was called to do God’s work he struggled with day-to-day issues. Yes, he was anointed. Yes, he had been called to do great work for the kingdom of God. Yes, his ministry blessed people, but he struggled with life and all of the challenges that come with it.

His anointing didn’t exempt him from the struggles and challenges of life. In fact, we can be certain that the anointing Paul had on his life opened him up to greater opposition from the enemy. I think we’ve all heard the saying that ,“with every level, there’s a greater devil.” The scripture tells us that Paul was receiving great revelations during that time. He was doing mighty work in the name of The Lord. God’s people were being blessed, but there is a deeper revelation in this passage. Paul is keenly aware of one of the enemy’s most subtle stumbling blocks, one that we as believers all need to be watchful of— the spirit of pride.

If we’re not careful, pride can creep in causing us to think we can do God’s work in our own strength and rely on our own abilities. We depend on our talents or skills rather than depending solely on God to anoint us with His power and strength to do what He has given us the opportunity to do. If we’re going to kill the spirit of pride, we must stay ever mindful that without God we are nothing and anything we do apart from Him is worthless.

Paul says, “to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me.” The scriptures don’t tell us exactly what Paul’s thorn was, but we do know that the enemy would not give him something that would cause him to rely on God’s strength. So, we can conclude that the thorn was God’s way of killing the spirit of pride in Paul, causing him to be totally dependent on Him and His strength to do what He called him to do. Paul pleads with The Lord, asking him to remove the thorn but God replied, “My grace is sufficient for you, my strength is made perfect in your weakness.”

Paul writes, “I delight in weaknesses, insults, in hardships, in persecution, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Today, as you go about doing the work God has called you to, be mindful of the spirit of pride. Recognize the “thorn” in your life and ask God to grant you His strength and power to do what he has called you to do.

Find God’s grace in your thorn!

God in Heaven, You know my heart. You know the parts of my situation that I wish could just go away.  Draw me in close to You so that I can hear Your voice over any noise or whispers that this thorn speaks into my life. Remind me that I am Yours: first, foremost and forever. No thorn can conquer me because even the cross could not conquer You. Help me to stand in Your strength I pray, Amen

Questions: How has God used a thorn in your life for His purposes? How would you encourage a friend who is dealing with a thorn?

Marsha Pope

Marsha Pope is a Registered Nurse at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. She is an intercessor at Mt. Zion Baptist Church under Bishop Joseph Warren Walker III. She is the Nashville area Sister Circle Leader for Wives in Waiting and most importantly, the mother of an amazing son. 

She’s written for the Trumpet magazine and for Streaming Faith. Her passion for writing devotionals comes from a deep desire to encourage God’s people to press pass the pain and brokenness of their past and become the person God has destined them to be!

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