If you are currently dealing with a thorn, pray for God to remove it. If He doesn't, trust He plans to use it for something good.
While out for a morning walk, I admired the wildflowers sprouting along the road after the recent rains. Wanting to look closer, I tromped through some seemingly innocent weeds. After taking some photos, I felt something pricking at my feet and noticed tiny thorns had wriggled their way through my shoes and into my socks. I half-smiled and chuckled as I continued my trek up the hill, insisting a few annoying thorns wouldn't stop me from getting to where I was going.
The life metaphor at this moment was not lost on me. I thought about how, in life, we encounter all kinds of thorns that try to slow us down, detour, and send us heading in the opposite direction. Thorns can come in the shape of a bad day, an unkind word, unexpected expenses, outright persecution, or bullying. Sometimes our thorns are physical disabilities we are born with or caused by a terrible accident. Whatever it is, a thorn placed in our path causes us much discomfort, distress, and distraction; however, we must insist that we continue our journey.
I can't tell you how many times I've been steadily heading toward a goal when out of nowhere, everything falls apart. As a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, I fell during light training and completely blew out my shoulder, requiring surgery and six months of recovery. Last fall, while training for a half marathon, two stray dogs attacked me in the street. My injuries derailed my training efforts and plans and caused mental stress and anxiety for several months after the incident. For the last few years, I have followed God's calling on my life to write. Amid it, the enemy seems to be working overtime to turn our oldest child away from God. This left me questioning if it was even my place to write about my relationship with God when my own life seemed to be falling apart.
Friend, let me tell you, thorns don't ever seem to let up! As soon as I think I have it figured out, another one is jabbing at me, just like the little, annoying thorns in my shoes while on my walk. Whatever the circumstance, I find myself discouraged and questioning if I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. In my effort to do what God has called me to do, these pesky thorns cause me to doubt my own motives and actions. Rather than losing hope and giving up, I turned to the Bible for answers on what to do next time I found myself in a field of thorns. Come to find out, thorns aren't spoken very highly of in the Bible. Thorns were part of the curse given to mankind after Adam and Eve were kicked out of the garden:
“Cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you.” Genesis 3:17b-18a (ESV)
What to Do When Life Gives Us Thorns
I started thinking about the Apostle Paul and how he revealed that he, too, dealt with a thorn. He describes his own personal struggle in 2 Corinthians 12:7 (ESV):
“A thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.”
Although Paul never quite specifies what he dealt with, Bible scholars have numerous speculations about what this thorn could have been and, as one of the greatest missionaries of the early church, had his share of struggles. Many of his letters to the churches were written from prison. Religious leaders opposed him, making it hard for him to lead however he wanted to, yet it didn't stop God from using him right where he was. In addition, Paul had a shady past of persecuting Christians before he became one, which, no doubt, the enemy used to cause internal guilt and shame. In 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, Paul gives us three ways to deal with thorns and shows us that, albeit annoying, we do not have to allow them to steal our joy, vision, or peace.
1. When life gives you thorns, pray.
Paul was just as human as the rest of us, and this pesky thorn must have been rather annoying. Instead of complaining, making excuses, and allowing it to distract him from his ministry, he turned to God: "Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me." ( v. 8)
Prayer should always be our first line of defense, but honestly, it's usually one of the last things I try. I noticed Paul prayed three times, making it clear that God did not remove the thorn after one or even two prayers. God didn't remove the thorn at all. Similarly, we find Jesus also prayed three times the night he was arrested in Mark 14:32-42. He said:
“Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” Mark 14:36 (ESV)
It gets me thinking, what's the point of prayer if it doesn't work? My pastor teaches that God is not a magic genie waiting to grant us our wishes. Prayer is a form of trust and obedience. When I pray for God to remove hardship from life, I must also trust He is the all-knowing God and believe the truth of Isaiah 55:8-9 (ESV):
“'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,'” declares the Lord. “'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.'”
Sometimes God does not remove the thorns from my life because it serves a greater purpose. In Jesus' case, the purpose was that His life would be offered up as the final sacrifice for sin, once and for all (1 Peter 3:18). For Paul, he came to realize the thorn was there to keep him in check, and to make sure all the glory of anything he accomplished in his ministry went to God (1 Chronicles 29:11).
2. When life gives you thorns, lean into God's strength.
I've definitely prayed for God to take away a thorn that doesn't just go away. If I want to follow Paul's lead, I must decide to move on and surrender it to God. He will provide everything I need to persevere despite the problem. It may just be God wants to use me, like He did with Paul, to put His power on display:
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'” 2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV)
God didn't remove the thorn, but He provided grace to proceed. It's easy, as a human, to get caught up in wanting to be recognized for hard work and accomplishments, yet forget I am only who I am because God has made me (Isaiah 64:48). When I am forced to lean on God for strength to carry on, His power is made evident. Knowing God is the source of my strength means I don't have to do it on my own. This is great news because I make a big mess every time I try to do things on my own. It's just as Jesus said, "Apart from me, you can do nothing." John 15:5 (ESV)
I know my limits, and I'm pretty weak physically and spiritually. When left to my own devices, I will likely fall into temptation. This is why I call on God every day to be my strength (Philippians 4:13). When I feel too weak to continue, and the thorns keep dragging me down, I turn to the Lord and am renewed. Isaiah 40:31 (NLT) says:
"But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint."
3. When Life Gives You Thorns, Continue to Glorify God
The most amazing stories I've ever told are the ones that had no other explanation than God. I love being able to say, I don't know how it happened, except that the God of the impossible stepped in and made it possible (Matthew 19:26). Paul used his thorn as an opportunity to highlight God's goodness:
“So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NLT)
I admit I have been guilty of having a case of the "poor me's" to gain sympathy from others. All this serves to do is spotlight the thorn and put the attention on me when, if I would pray, lean into God for strength, and point back to God, He would be able to use this situation for good (Romans 8:28). When I move out of the way and give all the glory to God, others can see God's power at work within me, despite any thorns I am struggling with.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)
Even though thorns seem to cause nothing but problems, I have learned from Paul's own experience in 1 Corinthians 12:7-10 how to move forward:
- I won't let thorns hold me back from what God has called me to do or from enjoying the many blessings God has given me.
- When I feel like giving up, I will rely on God to give me the strength to continue.
- Even if I can't see behind the scenes, I must trust that the all-knowing God has a plan.
That morning, walking through the thorns and flowers, I was reminded of an important lesson: thorns grow amidst beautiful flowers, yet the flowers still bloom despite the thorns. If you are currently dealing with a thorn, pray for God to remove it. If He doesn't, trust He plans to use it for something good.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/AndreyPopov
Jennifer Jabbour resides in the scenic San Diego countryside with her husband, adult son, and teen daughter, and their hilarious English Bulldog. Jennifer has a B.A. in Integrated Business Communications, and is a Go + Tell Gals licensed life coach. Jennifer hopes to use her calling of writing, coaching, and speaking to equip and empower women to clarify their vision and to boldly step forward in response to God's calling on their life, as well as educate and encourage others to experience the abundance of God's goodness when they seek Him first in all that they do. Jennifer is also a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, a photographer, and an avid outdoors-woman. She loves camping, hiking, running, and playing the piano in her free time.
You can keep up with Jennifer on her website https://www.jenniferjabbour.
