Although we know that God allows thorns into our lives for our ultimate good, we do not always allow them to accomplish their purpose. We pray, "Take it away, God! Get this out of my life! I can't deal with it anymore!" And if He doesn't take it away, we get miffed about it.
                                                
          Paul's thorn was so painful that he prayed fervently for its removal. "Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me" (2 Corinthians 12:8). Jesus did the same thing when he asked the Father if there was any way to remove the suffering He was about to face on the cross (Matthew 26:36-46). But God responded to both of them the same: "Your suffering is not going anywhere."
                                                      
          This shows that it is not wrong to ask God to remove our thorn. Sometimes He will. But it also shows that God sometimes allows our thorn to remain-at least longer than we would like. That's because God uses suffering to build our character and to display His power and, most importantly, to bring us close to Himself.

          As God's children, we tend to look at the thorns in our lives and think that His plan is not a good one. But we don't know what God is doing. We don't know why He prevents some things and allows others. What we do know is that God is wise and that He always does what is best. If He allows a painful thing to come into my life, He has an incredibly good purpose for it. Pain has a good purpose, if we will allow it.

          Look at God's response to Paul's request: "And He said to me, `My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness' (2 Corinthians 12:9) God says that He is not going to remove the thorn. Instead, He’s going to do a favor for you that you don't deserve. It's going to be everything you need.

          This shows that our God is incredibly interested in each one of us as individuals. He knows our thorn. He knows what we need. And He supplies enough strength.

          You say, "Enough for what?" Enough to have complete victory over the thorn that God has allowed into your life. Enough so you can get through it; so you can get past it; so you can get on top of it and put your foot on its throat and say, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13). God is interested in victorious, overcoming, super-conquering believers. That's the grace He provides. Not enough just to survive. Not enough just to get by. Not enough to just make it. Enough to succeed. Enough to be victorious. Enough to have supernatural joy in the midst of anything He allows us to go through. That is the grace that God makes available to us. 

                             Lovingly in Christ,
                                    Carole