2 Corinthians 12:7; A Thorn in the Flesh

2 Corinthians 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

The Apostle Paul was given to experience the unutterable blessings of paradise, the abundance of the revelation of the third heaven in the presence of God. What privilege! And yet, he was to suffer such acute pain as having, as it were, a thorn in the flesh. Such a life of patient enduring he was to live day by day. As he perhaps cringed from pain, he remembered his unfinished mission for his Lord and the rest that was to follow in God’s paradise!

MacDonald observed well, “The apostle describes the thorn in the flesh as a messenger of Satan to buffet him. In one sense it represented an effort on Satan’s part to hinder Paul in the work of the Lord. But God is greater than Satan, and He used the thorn to further the work of the Lord by keeping Paul humble.”

The hymn “Day by Day” written by Lina Sandell Berg who accompanied his father who was the pastor of a parish church in Sweden on a ship when tragedy struck. The ship gave a sudden lurch and Lina’s father fell overboard and drowned before the eyes of his devoted daughter.

Day by day, and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He, whose heart is kind beyond all measure,
Gives unto each day what He deems best,
Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.

Every day the Lord Himself is near me,
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me,
He whose name is Counsellor and Pow’r.
The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
“As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,”
This the pledge to me He made.

Help me then, in every tribulation,
So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,
That I lose not faith’s sweet consolation,
Offered me within Thy holy Word.
Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,
E’er to take, as from a father’s hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
Till with Christ the Lord I stand.

Amen.