The Power of "No!" - PART 3

In the first example, God’s denial of Moses’ request reinforced His sovereignty to direct Moses’ life. In this next example, we will examine God’s refusal in the life of the Apostle Paul.

Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given 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 12:7-9 (NIV)

Paul never explicitly stated what his thorn in the flesh was, but the use of that metaphor could imply it was something that affected his body. He also described it as a messenger of Satan, so there was a component of demonic harassment attached to it. Paul concluded it was in his life to prevent him from becoming conceited because God was working through him so effectively. For something to have had the ability to humble Paul meant it would have affected him at such a deep level, his self-image would be challenged. This thing embodied a four-pronged attack on the apostle’s life: physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally.

I mention these things because if there was one man who personified fearlessness in the performance of his mission, it was the Apostle Paul. When he gave a list of all the hardships he experienced while preaching the Gospel (cf. 2 Corinthians 11:23-28), not once do we read that Paul asked God to take any of them away. Lest you think those hardships were mere trifles, try being stoned, beaten with a whip multiple times, imprisoned, and almost drowning in a shipwreck to see how seriously you would take them. Yet, those were just some of the traumas Paul suffered for the sake of his calling. Despite all that he went through, we know of only one thing Paul begged the Lord to remove from his life: his thorn in the flesh. For someone who was not easily intimidated, this was a serious problem for Paul, and three times he pleaded with the Lord to take it away from his life.

Paul sincerely believed that for him to have continued success, this thorn would have to be removed. However, God’s refusal to grant that desire meant that the Heavenly Father knew of other roads to success Paul had not considered. What is so disconcerting about God’s choice, though, is that He left something that was so problematic and debilitating in Paul’s life. This thorn was an issue of profound concern for Paul because of the multiple ways it distressed him. No one could fault Paul for wanting its elimination, but God had a grander purpose in mind for His servant. God’s sovereignty to direct Paul’s life was obviously at work here, but there was now a more ingenious level added to God’s intervention. In this case, God’s refusal to grant Paul’s request revealed His creativity to expand Paul’s possibilities. The thorn would remain, but other things would be added to his life so that Paul’s definition of success would now have to be expanded. Paul was about to witness how God’s abilities and resources would use his greatest vulnerability as a doorway to grace, joy, and power.

Pain has a way of constricting our vision. It straps blinders to our heads, forcing us to see in only one direction. All we know is our pain, and nothing else matters but to get rid of it. Reason and objectivity are usually the first two things we jettison once any type of suffering enters the picture. Pain is so often a despairing experience because we are prone to believe it will stop us from living our lives to the fullest. However, we are more than our pain. Our lives are masterful tapestries of abilities, talents, giftedness, opportunities, family, friends, jobs, and community, all wrapped up into God’s plans for us. None of these things cease to exist because of what we may be going through.

What this example from Paul’s life teaches us is that God does not view pain the same way we do. We see it as a danger to be avoided, but God sees it as a catalyst for growth that can be embraced. The genius of God’s creativity is that He knows how to use our pain to increase our opportunities for successful living. There are things we will never learn about God and what He can accomplish in our lives until we are willing to follow Him through the crucible of suffering. Can we know of God’s deliverance if we are never trapped? Can we experience God’s healing if we are never broken? Can we gain God’s wisdom if we are never perplexed? Can we feel God’s strength if we are never weak? When God says “no” to the removal of those painful parts of our lives, it is because His creativity is about to make our thorns in the flesh open doors for His possibilities. That’s the power of “No!”

END OF PART THREE.

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