So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.
2 Corinthians 12:1-10
How can a victory become a catastrophe? When it becomes the basis for self-confidence, false confidence, or overconfidence. We see examples in areas such as politics, sports, and business, even in churches. A church starts growing, attracting admiring glances and even media attention. But, when the pastor begins to take credit, boasting of numbers converted while scorning smaller churches and smaller pastors, wise Christians begin to tremble when they see this happening. Painful catastrophe comes in the midst of the pseudo-confidence that overtakes a “successful” pastor. This may explain why the church of Christ is often defeated, divided, and depleted. God may be saving the church from the risk of catastrophic victory which could result in long-term harm rather than health. In the Old Testament, God could have given Israel total victory everywhere. But, they sinned and God allowed hostile nations to remain as thorns in Israel’s side to keep His people needy, humble, and looking to Him for their salvation. We read of that in Judges 2. In the New Testament, we see the Corinthians, Galatians, Thessalonians, etc. with all their problems and needs. God allowed them to experience short-term troubles to preserve their long-term health. Today, after living a wildly immoral life, a woman is powerfully converted to Christ through a co-worker’s testimony. God gives her a new heart and a “renewed mind” as she devours Scripture and discovers an insatiable appetite for theology. She pumps out theses and lectures. People begin to recognize her theological maturity and she is invited to lead a Young Mother’s Bible Study. As she begins, she’s stunned at the spiritual weakness of most of the women, remarking that “they know so little, and do even less.” After a few years of frustration with lecturing, she resigns in disgust. When her pastor gently admonishes her to be humbler, she thinks, “What does this theological pygmy know about anything?” To her, the only bright spot in the church is the married elder who really understands her and offers such warm sympathy. Although we’d all love to be able to read, know, remember, and understand more, perhaps the Lord is saving us from catastrophic knowledge, a knowledge that would puff our souls up and out until they explode. Although we hanker for spiritual giftedness, maybe that would harm our spiritual fruitfulness. Paul was given “a thorn in the flesh” to keep him humble because of the great things he had seen when he was transported to Heaven, our verses today. Maybe, like Paul, we are given “thorns in our flesh” lest we become conceited as the woman in this story became. This thorn kept Paul weak, needy, and constantly seeking Christ’s all-sufficient grace. The Devil can turn our victories into defeats, but, God can turn our defeats into victories. By God’s grace, the Christian can snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. We would not have Psalm 51 without David’s spiritual recession. We would not have Paul’s letters to the New Testament churches without the churches’ divisions and disasters. We would not have Peter’s sympathetic letters without his triple defeat at the hands of young servant girls. There have been churches that lose half their members and their prayer meetings come alive. There have been pastors who left churches in the lurch, transforming “coasting” elders into leaders. There have been Christians who lost their income and prosper spiritually. Christians lose loved ones in tragic circumstances and grow in love for God. Murderers sentenced to life imprisonment find true freedom in Christ. Spiritual recession, scarcity, and loss provide us with opportunities for spiritual breakthroughs and fundamental rethinking of our spiritual lives. Ask God to turn your defeat into a victory, your bane into a boon, and/or your recession into prosperity.
Source: S C Ball January 5, 2024
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