Is there something or someone in your life that almost drives you to the brink of insanity? Have you prayed and prayed to God for Him to fix it and it remains unfixed? Have you tried everything and nothing seems to work to fix it or change it? If you have been praying a long time and trying lots of things to fix or change something or someone that almost drives you to the brink of insanity, you may be the recipient of thorn in the flesh. What is a thorn in the flesh you might wonder? Wikipedia defines a “thorn in the flesh” as a colloquialism used to describe a chronic infirmity, annoyance, or trouble in one’s life. It is most commonly used by Christians. The source of this Bible expression is Paul the Apostle, in his Second Epistle to the Corinthians 12:7–9:[1]

Think it not strange that you may find yourself the recipient of a thorn in the flesh, for any thorn in the flesh that you may be experiencing did not just happen as if by osmosis. Osmosis had nothing to do with it, for if you have a thorn in the flesh, you can be sure that it has been filtered through the screening process of Almighty God. Although God doesn’t cause all thorns in the flesh to exists, He allows them and uses them to accomplish His greater work and His greater plans and purposes in your life. The infliction of pain that a “thorn in the flesh” causes is usually extreme. Thorns in the flesh are annoying. They are bothersome. They are tiring. They drain you. They rob you of human strength. They attempt to destroy your thought process, your hopes, your dreams and your goals. They drain your finances. They stress you out. They make you question your sanity. They attempt to destroy your self esteem and your faith and belief in God and His word. “Thorns in the flesh are terrible”. After you read this you may wonder, “why in the world would such a good God allow such “extremely bad thorns in the flesh” to happen in the lives of someone He loves.

God has many different reasons for allowing thorns in the flesh to happen in the lives of those He loves. God desires that all of us examine ourselves carefully in light of His Word and He wants us all to become sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s conviction in areas that need to change. But eventually, if we don’t recognize the problems and deal with them, God then often allow thorns in the flesh to bring to light unresolved or carnal issues in our lives. Here are 5 of the reasons God may allow thorns in your flesh to exist;

1. The thorn in the flesh produces humility over time in the lives of sincere yet immature followers of Jesus Christ. The thorn in the flesh produces patience and dependence upon God– 2Co. 12:7
2. Thorns in the flesh bring you face to face with yourself and face to face with God. The thorn in the flesh makes you get to know yourself more intimately and allows you more time to get to know who God really is more intimately. – Psalm 63:1
3. The thorn in the flesh teaches you to fully rely upon God, His power, His wisdom, His provisions, and His guidance for daily living. – Psalms 32:8.
4. The thorn in the flesh introduces you to God’s miracle working power.
5. The thorn in the flesh teaches you the meaning of the Bible verse that says”My Grace is sufficient for you -2 Corinthians 12:9”. God’s strength is made perfect in your weakness.

If you have been entertaining your unwanted thorn in the flesh for any length of time then you have probably realized that “thorns in the flesh” do not respond to traditional treatments and human solutions seem to be non existent and it is this way by God’s design. Because if God has you in His grip dealing with a “Thorn in the flesh”, you will not get out of your trial of difficulty through traditional methods or human solutions, You will not get out by might nor by power, you will only get out of your trial of difficulty by God’s Spirit and in God’s way. No sense worrying about what you can’t control or allowing “thorns in the flesh” to steal your joy, it’s best to utilize the time that you’re in the grip of the “thorn in the flesh” to get alone with God and allow Him to guide you in the way He wants you to go. It is best to utilize the time to allow God to teach you what He wants you to know. So, allow the thorn in the flesh to teach you what it’s there to teach you, refuse the urge to run away then let the trial of difficulty complete it’s perfect work of what it’s there for, it is in this way, you’ll escape the difficulties sooner and God will authorize the unbolting of the door to your “thorns in the flesh” and you’ll then be able to go forward with God to fulfill the perfect plans and purposes that He has for your life!