2 Corinthians 12:7-10
New King James Version (NKJV)
The Thorn in the Flesh
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
I used to pray for God to heal me, but now I pray only for the strength to carry on in spite of my difficulties. I have come to realize that though He has not taken the MS away, indeed, it seems to be getting worse, He continues to care for me tenderly.
I recently ran a fever with some sort of sinus infection I had managed to contract. Every infection carries the potential to cause the MS to grow worse. Well, it did and now I find myself unable to stand for more than a few minutes and really need a wheelchair. After contacting my pastor's wife and asking her to see if anyone had a wheelchair kicking around that they did not need, my pastor showed up at my door with one. It is well padded and very comfortable.
As I was thinkig about my new chair this morning, I realized that I do not feel let down by the fact that God has not taken away the disease, but rather overwhelmed with gratitude that He is taking such good care of me. It also occurs to me that if I am able to praise Him from a wheelchair, He may be better able to minister to the disabled and infirm.
After all, anyone can be thankful when the sun shines, it is during the storms that it becomes a bit difficult! Also, I believe that I can minister to the sick from the perspective of REALLY knowing how they feel. To effectively reach people, we must convince them that we truly understand their pain. Not only is it difficult to understand it if you haven't lived it, it is even more difficult to convince the hurting that we do understand.
So I believe that God needs to keep some people in their difficult circumstances for the express purpose of reaching others with similar needs. It appears that Paul only prayed for God to take away his infirmity three times. After God informed him that His grace was sufficient, Paul only prayed for strength. He did not pray to be removed from bad circumstances, only to be be able to stand in spite of them.
So at the end of the day, all that matters is that God's strength is made perfect by my weakness. Therefore I do not consider myself disabled, rather enabled by God, to minister to the hurting and infirm with compassion that is honed by experience. My legs may not be able to carry me very far, but my spirit, led by Jesus, will get me wherever I need to go.
