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In 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, Paul talks about a persistent problem he had and God’s grace that was sufficient to help him with it. There is a lot of speculation about what Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was. Some think it could have been a physical health condition or disability. Others think it might have been a mental or emotional health condition. Some say it might have been a spiritual health condition or struggle. Others suggest Paul may sometimes have been beset with guilt over his past persecution of Christians. Some think it might have been a specific person, situation, or temptation. I’ve even heard some suggest that Paul struggled with homosexuality. But as interesting as all the speculation is, let’s not get so caught up in it that we forget about God’s grace!

I think Paul was purposefully not specific about his thorn. We tend to get hung up on things like that, and if we knew what the thorn was, we’d probably fixate on that instead of the grace for the thorn. What the thorn was literally doesn’t matter. God’s grace is plenty for whatever the thorn is. The point isn’t the thorn! The point is the grace!

Whatever your thorn may be, God’s grace is plenty enough for it. God’s grace in your weakness will show you His strength in ways you wouldn’t otherwise know.

Related:
Sufficient Grace
Tailor Made: Temptation and Grace
Different Experience, Same Grace
Notes on Grace
God’s Forgiveness – Paul the Apostle
Paul’s Prison Ministry