It's Not About You

“Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.” 2 Corinthians 12:7

It is not God’s job to always make us comfortable.

This is a difficult truth to understand. We pray for our every discomfort to disappear, and we’re disappointed in God when He does not answer immediately. However, there are times that God allows discomfort to fill a greater purpose in our lives. Christianity is not all about being blissful, successful, and pain-free. If this was the case, every person would be a Christian.

Paul learned this lesson when he was given a “thorn in the flesh” with the specific job of tormenting him. The Bible does not explain specifically what was meant by this thorn, but it is clear that this condition served well its purpose—to torment. Paul prayed three times that God would take it away. We can almost hear these prayers: “God, please take this from me. I am miserable, and I need you.” God’s answer was… “No.” No? Can it be possible that God would want Paul, His servant whom He loved, to live in constant discomfort? Yes. There is a greater purpose, something greater than comfort, that God had in mind. He knew that Paul needed a thorn to keep him humble. In verse 7 Paul explains specifically that this was given to him by God to keep him from becoming “conceited.” This thorn kept Paul from relying on his own importance. God spoke to Paul saying, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Did Paul respond to this by resenting God? Did he decide to leave the Lord, to medicate until he was numb and the impact of the thorn disappeared? No, he chose to feel every little bit of it and even to “boast” about his weaknesses. It was a public admission of his constant dependence on and need for God. This ministry was not about him; it was about the God who sent him.

We are important enough to God that He may choose to leave discomfort if it is in our best interest. Don’t we expect that a loving God would act in our best interest? Yet, we are angered when God does not remove whatever is vexing us. Will you still choose to follow God even when He does not answer your prayers in the way you have asked? Will you still serve Him even through difficulties? Remember His answer to Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you.”

Think about it.

Is there something in your life that you have prayer for God to remove only to continue struggling through it? What has been your reaction? Some doubt that God even hears. Some doubt God cares. Others begin to think that perhaps He is not there at all. Then answer to this is simple: trust. We must trust that God will do that which is best for us. That is faith. God’s answer to your request may be “Yes,” or “Not now,” or “No.” Can you trust that His way for you is greater than the one you have chosen for yourself?

Read about it.

Read about some of the reasons God does not answer prayers in James 4:3, Psalms 66:18, Isaiah 59:2, and Proverbs 28:9. Read Jeremiah 29:11 to understand how God plans for us. Read more about trusting God in Proverbs 3:5, Proverbs 16:3, 1 Corinthians 2:5, and Romans 8:28.

Pray about it.

God of my hope, I put all my trust in you. When I pray and you make a path before me, I trust you. When I pray for my way, and the answer is no, I still trust you. Your grace is sufficient for me. In Jesus name.