THOSE THORNY QUESTIONS

Buds are emerging on our rose stems, but oh, the thorns!

Why is life at times so thorny? I’ve asked myself that many times in the past few years—and not just during my spring rose-pruning duties. Thorny problems and relationships are part of our sin-filled world. We usually complain about them. But I was recently reminded of the better perspective expressed by Dr. George Matheson (1842-1906), a renowned Scottish preacher who endured life blind:

My God, I have never thanked Thee for my thorn.  I have thanked thee a thousand times for my roses, but not once for my thorn.  I have been looking forward to a world where I shall get compensated for my cross, but I have never thought of my cross as itself a present glory.  Teach me the value of my thorn.

Of course, any reference to a “spiritual thorn” leads inevitably to Paul’s use of that term. At some time (perhaps when nearly stoned to death?) he had a vision of Heaven, too wonderful to express in earthly terms.

But to keep me from getting puffed up, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from getting proud.  Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away.  Each time he said, “My gracious favor is all you need.  My power works best in your weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me. Since I know it is all for Christ’s good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:7b-10 NLT)

What was the thorn?  Nobody knows.  Some ideas: malaria, epilepsy, an eye disease (inferred from Galatians 4:13-15). Whatever, it was chronic and debilitating, interfering with his ministry. Its presence kept Paul humble and dependent on God to just get through the day.  Somehow, seeing Paul’s strength in weakness inspired those around him who had their own version of a disabling “thorn.”

And these lessons still apply. We’re tempted to rely on our own cleverness or abilities to get by in life. But when we’re faced with our true selves, we have a choice: curl up and complain, or trust God for His will in His time.

I sense that lesson in Dr. Matheson. When he aspired to become a pastor—just as his sight was going—naysayers probably suggested it wouldn’t work out. But God provided a way through his devoted sister, who herself learned Greek, Latin and Hebrew to help him in his theological studies. Throughout his life she helped with his pastoral and calling duties.

Most hymnals still include “O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go,” whose lyrics came to him with such fluency and speed one night that he attributed it to “a dayspring from on high”—the Lord’s inspiration.  The key words of its four verses are “love,” “light,” “joy,” “cross.” All remind me of the Lord Jesus, the One who showed us God’s love.  Who called Himself the “Light of the World.”  And who, “for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2 NIV).

All because of a Love that will not let us go.

He is risen! He is risen indeed!

Beauty and the thorn

Part of a continuing series inspired by sights of Kauai.
Ow! A tiny rose thorn had punched through my garden gloves and found a deep hiding place in my thumb. Digging with a sterilized sewing needle wouldn’t budge it, so I covered that area with a bandage and went on with life, trying to ignore the pain. How could such beautiful flowers emerge off such unfriendly stems?

 A similar thought came as I rediscovered bougainvillea growing throughout Kauai. The same flowering vine grew by the front porch of my childhood home in Los Angeles. I was warned to stay away from it because of the thorns. But the delicate, paper-like blooms were so fascinating!

Bougainvillea, which thrives in tropical climates, received its unusual name in 1768 when a botanist discovered it in Brazil. The scientist was aboard a ship commanded by Admiral Louis de Bougainvillea, and Brazil was one stop on the admiral’s quest to become the first Frenchman to circumnavigate the world. He did so, surviving sailing through the treacherous tips of South America and Africa. From its native South America, bougainvillea spread around the world, with 300 species now identified. Their colors range from white to apricot, pale to dark pink, and bright to bluish red.  The vine’s heart-shaped, paper-like three-leaf “blooms” are actually bracts, from which emerge the small white tubular flower.

Plus thorns.

Thorns, of course, have a powerful spiritual analogy for life. I’ve certainly wrestled with personal application of Paul’s perspective on “thorns.” He admitted having a frustrating condition that impaired him and simply wouldn’t go away, no matter how much he prayed about it.

To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations [visions of heaven], there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.  Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10, emphasis added)

Years ago, amidst a time of many “throny” problems, I learned a simple chorus that often comes back to me as hope. Try singing this to the tune of “Blessed be the tie that binds,” then thank God for the flowers beyond your “thorn.”

As thy day so shall thy strength be.
My grace is sufficient for thee.
My power’s made perfect in thy human weakness,
My grace is sufficient for thee.

When you wait, and wait, on God

Have you prayed for years, even decades, regarding something and see no hope of an answer? Welcome to God’s Pray-Waiting Club. Sometimes I sing a duet with King David, who pined, “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?  How long will you hide your face from me?”  (Psalm 13:1).

 

Those who think of God as “somewhere out there looking down on us” are probably most discouraged by unanswered prayer. They imagine God is too busy processing millions of prayers to pay much detailed attention to them. But such a view demeans the greatness of God. Still, when no answer seems to come to our prayers, we may feel abandoned or forgotten. That’s when we need scriptural reminders that God always hears our prayers and always responds.  But He will not be manipulated. His answer will come in His way, in His time, and to fulfill His purpose. And sometimes that’s “no,” for some of these reasons:

*In response to disobedience and dishonor. Moses truly wanted to step into the Promised Land. Then he lost his temper in a way that dishonored God. When the people rose up against Moses because there was no water, God had told him to “speak” to a certain rock, and it would provide water.  Instead, he stormed,  “Listen you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” (Numbers 20:10).  The pronoun “we” put Moses on equal footing with God. Then, instead of speaking, he whammed the rock with his staff.  God took that seriously and right then set the punishment: Moses wouldn’t enter the land.  Moses’ heart-breaking disappointment shows how  God loves us but also has laid out how to relate to a holy God. Any sin--public or private, done or neglected to be done--is an affront to His holiness.

*To fulfill God’s higher plan. Jesus knew going through crucifixion would be excruciating. Worse, He’d suffocate under the dark weight of the world’s sin.  His Father would turn His face away. “My Father,” He pleaded that last night in Gethsemane, “if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.”  But He knew the Father’s will was to go through it: “Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 25:39). God may leave us in a difficult situation because He sees the end result. That challenging job, difficult roommate,  marital conflict, illness or disability may be the tool He uses to develop godly character that pushes through.

*To help us experience God’s sufficiency.  Paul felt he’d suffered enough. Missionary life had meant imprisonment, beatings, shipwrecks, travel dangers, criminal harm, sleep deprivation, hunger, ragged clothing, and edge-of-death trauma (see 2 Corinthians 11). He also carried a huge emotional pastor’s burden. Whatever the source—an old injury?—he continued to suffer a “thorn in the flesh” that simply wouldn’t go away. To help him endure this, he had a special-delivery message from Christ: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:7-10). To that, Paul responded with words that still instruct us:  “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

God’s “no” is never arbitrary. In His profound wisdom and unfailing love, He seeks only our best. That’s not necessarily our comfort, but it’s what will bring Him honor and impact our world for good. As we accept the “no” and begin to see His hand in our lives, then we’ll come full-circle to the conclusion of Psalm 13.  After hanging out all his “how-long” questions, the psalmist decides:

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me. (Psalm 13:6)