And lest I should be exhalted 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.

The second letter to the Corinthians was written by the apostle Paul. Our verses today tell us that Paul had a vision which he was by God unable to describe – he was caught up to the third heaven (paradise) where he heard unspeakable words. Paul had a foretaste of the joys and blessings of the redeemed. There was danger of pride of heart after such a vision and God allowed Satan to give Paul a thorn in his flesh. What was it? We don’t know but it appears to have been some affliction in his body. Paul went to the Lord three times to ask for God to remove this “thorn in his flesh”. God answered Paul’s prayer and said no but Paul heard something better; the assurance of the suffiency of divine grace was to comfort his heart in the affliction. The power of God needed his weakness for its display and allowed him not only to bear the infirmity for Christ’s sake, but to take pleasure in it – to teach the apostle dependency on God and the sufficiency of His Grace. This is an important lesson every believer must learn: both natural weakness and supernatural power are constantly at work in us. The greater we sense our weakness the more we will sense God’s power. Our success does not depend on our natural abilities but on God working in and through us – to depend more on God and less on oneself.

The causes of suffering are many and mysterious. We suffer often when we are foolish and disobedient to the Lord. Also God desires at times to chasten us. In His Grace God forgives us our sins but in His government He permits us to reap what we sow. Physical affliction does not keep us from Christian service and Paul’s ministry did not deteriorate because of his experience of revelation. Often human beings become arrogant, super spiritual visionaries claiming God has especially ministered to them and upon no provable or credible grounds whatsoever. What Paul’s experience was intended to do was to expand the glory, grace and power of the Lord.

The ultimate cause of Paul’s experience is the sovereign God – in fact, that’s the ultimate cause of everything in this universe. God’s unmerited grace is never withdrawn from a believer until he/she is in the presence of the Lord and when we appreciate what God has done, we complete what He intended to do which is to manifest His power, His grace. The entire range of Paul’s apostleship is seen against this – his weaknesses, his trials, his calling, his conversion all fall into place when Paul understands God’s grace is sufficient for him.