The natural thing we do when faced with any difficulty is pray that God might take it away. Paul took this approach also. He complained of a thorn in his flesh, a mystique which theologians have grappled with for centuries. While we are not sure of the exact nature of that thorn, we know it was irritable to the apostle. No clearer evidence of this could be seen than in the fact that he pleaded repeatedly that God might remove it. He never knew that a thorn could be a blessing in disguise. However, God did not remove it; He chose rather to work through it. God gave Paul the assurance that His power would be enhanced in the midst of his imperfections. From that moment, Paul ceased to complain about it. In other words, he surrendered everything to the Lord, including the thorn.
“There could be strength in our weakness. Surrendering to the Lord is the key… Surrendering is coming to terms that even if God does not change the uncomely aspects of our lives, He can still redeem them for His glory.”
God can achieve great things through any of us, despite our weaknesses, difficulties, and pains. There could be strength in our weakness. Surrendering to the Lord is the key. This does not necessarily mean our external circumstances would change; it simply means something on the inside of us needs to alter. Surrendering is coming to terms that even if God does not change the uncomely aspects of our lives, He can still redeem them for His glory. Surrendering to God changes you from inside; and once you gain mastery in that realm every other thing will work out for good on the outside.
