2 Corinthians 12:7–9 (ESV)
“So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, 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.”
The Thorn That Protects Us
Paul’s honesty in this passage disarms us. He doesn’t hide his struggle, and he doesn’t over-explain it. He simply calls it a “thorn in the flesh.” It was painful, persistent, and humbling. Whatever it was, Paul recognized its purpose: it kept him from pride. The thorn was not punishment. It was protection — the thorn of humility.
God allows thorns because He knows the danger of success without surrender. Paul had seen heavenly visions, performed miracles, and led countless people to Christ. That kind of spiritual influence could easily breed pride. But God, in His mercy, allowed a thorn to remain — something that would keep Paul’s heart grounded in grace.
For us, the thorn might take another form: a weakness, a lingering struggle, a wound that doesn’t heal quickly. It reminds us that no matter how far we’ve come, we still depend completely on God. The thorn, in that sense, becomes a divine safeguard against the pride that so easily grows in the human heart.
The Purpose Behind the Pain
It’s natural to pray for our thorns to be removed. Paul did — three times. But God’s answer wasn’t removal; it was revelation: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
That single sentence changes everything. God was saying, “Paul, you don’t need less weakness; you need more grace.” What a hard truth for us to accept. We want deliverance, but God often gives dependence.
The thorn teaches us boasting under grace — the kind of humility that turns pain into praise. We stop asking, “Why won’t this go away?” and start asking, “What is God showing me through this?” When we live like that, our struggles become classrooms where God teaches us faith, trust, and endurance.
This is how spiritual maturity develops. Not through ease, but through endurance. The thorn doesn’t destroy us — it refines us. It burns away pride until only dependence on Christ remains.
When Weakness Shapes Our Words
Paul’s response to the thorn changes how we think about boasting. He says, “I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses.” Notice that word — gladly. Paul wasn’t resigned to weakness; he rejoiced in it, because it was the doorway to real strength.
In a world that celebrates confidence and independence, boasting under grace sounds backward. But Paul knew that spiritual boasting has one purpose: to draw attention to the power of Christ, not to ourselves. The thorn disciplines our tongues. It limits what we can brag about. It forces us to speak honestly about our need for grace.
Without the thorn, Paul might have gloried in his ministry success or his visions. But with it, he could only boast about what God was doing through his weakness. The thorn kept his message pure and his heart humble. It made his testimony credible — not a story of a perfect man, but of a perfect Savior working through an imperfect servant.
That’s the thorn of humility in action. It shapes what we say about ourselves and what we say about God. When we learn to boast under grace, we stop performing for others and start pointing to Christ.
Learning to Boast the Right Way
Boasting isn’t always sinful. The problem isn’t the act itself — it’s the object. What or whom we boast about reveals what we value most.
When we boast in self, we steal glory that belongs to God. When we boast in weakness, we return that glory to its rightful place. We’re saying, “I couldn’t have done this without Him.”
That’s what power made perfect in weakness really means. God’s power doesn’t fill strong people; it fills surrendered people. It flows through the cracks in our confidence. It uses the very parts of us we wish were stronger to display the greatness of His strength.
If you can look back at a time of suffering and say, “I didn’t think I could endure, but God carried me,” then you have experienced boasting under grace. Your weakness became a platform for God’s strength.
Thorns and Last Days Living
As believers in the last days, this lesson is more important than ever. The closer we draw to Christ’s return, the greater the temptation to rely on our own understanding, reputation, or spiritual gifts. Pride can sneak into even the most sincere faith.
That’s why God still allows thorns — to remind His people that the source of power is not human will but divine grace. In times of hardship or persecution, we will need the thorn of humility to keep our eyes on Christ. The enemy will tempt us to boast in our endurance or our insight, but the Spirit will lead us to boast in the cross.
Our thorns — those weaknesses and struggles we wish away — may be the very things that keep us faithful in the end. They tether us to grace when the world pulls toward pride. They ensure that when we stand before Christ, our boasting will not be in our achievements but in His mercy.
Thank God for the Thorn
Paul learned to see his thorn as a gift. We can do the same. Every believer has one — a constant reminder that we’re not in control. And that’s good news, because it means God is.
When you feel the sting of your thorn — the limitation, the hardship, the thing you wish you could fix — pause and remember: this, too, is grace. It’s God’s way of keeping you close. It’s His way of shaping your testimony so that your life points to Him and not to you.
Every time you choose boasting under grace instead of self-praise, you’re declaring that His strength is enough. Every time you give glory to God for the very weakness that humbles you, you’re living proof that His power is made perfect in weakness.
So thank God for the thorn. Thank Him for the limits that keep your faith real. Thank Him for the gentle hand that keeps your heart from rising above its Maker.
And remember — the thorn isn’t the story’s end. Grace is.
Spread the Gospel; lives depend on it!
I pray, MARANATHA! (Come Quickly, Lord Jesus!)
Your brother in Christ,
Duane
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