We both lie silently still
in the dead of the night
Although we both lie close together
We feel miles apart inside

Was it something I said or something I did
Did my words not come out right
Though I tried not to hurt you
Though I tried
But I guess that’s why they say

Every rose has its thorn
Just like every night has its dawn
Just like every cowboy sings his sad, sad song
Every rose has its thorn

Though it’s been a while now
I can still feel so much pain
Like a knife that cuts you the wound heals
but the scar, that scar remains

Back on Christmas Eve in 1988 the big hair rock band Poison strummed this slow power ballad all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It remained in the top for three weeks. Poison’s lead vocalist, Bret Michaels, wrote the song in a Laundromat with an acoustic guitar in response to a rough break-up with his then-girlfriend.

Over the years, how many #1 hits have been written in response to break-ups? I think that is one of the reasons so many songs like this become popular. They resonate with our own painful life experiences. Who here today hasn’t gone through a painful break-up at some point in your life? Every person, every relationship, every rose has its thorn!

The image of a thorn causing pain has been around for a long time. It originated with the Apostle Paul almost two-thousand years ago. It is amazing that a phrase like “thorn in the flesh” could last so long. Sure, it has undergone some contemporary changes like “That person is a real pain in the …neck!” but we all still know that a “thorn in the flesh” refers to something or someone who causes us physical or emotional pain.

Paul does not reveal the precise nature of his thorn; therefore, it has been a matter of much debate. Some suggest that it was an eye disease or some physical illness. Others believe it refers to persecution by his enemies or some inner temptation. No one knows for sure what the thorn was, but we do know that is caused him considerable pain and was a catalyst for reflection on his spiritual life. I would like to help us make a few observations about Paul’s thorn in the flesh today!

1.) The Reason for the Thorn (7)
In verse 7 Paul explicitly states that the reason for the thorn in his flesh was to prevent him from becoming conceited because of these incredible experiences with God. He describes them as “surpassingly great revelations.” To be taken up to heaven and speak directly to Jesus certainly would have created a temptation to boast. They could easily have led him into spiritual pride.

But God knows the sinfulness of the human heart. He knows our propensity to take credit for his work. He knows our tendency to give ourselves the glory that he alone is due. Paul wasn’t any different from the rest of us in this regard. He would have been tempted to think that he experienced these “surpassingly great revelations” because he was either more spiritual than other people, that God loved him more than other people, or that he was more gifted than other people. So, to prevent any form of spiritual pride from developing and rendering Paul’s ministry ineffective, he was given this thorn in the flesh to keep him humble and relying on God!

Have you ever wondered why God allows his people to suffer? There are many answers to this question, but one of them is that, like Paul, God allows us to suffer to keep us humble. Thorns in our flesh remind us that we are not in control of our lives. They keep us on our knees. God knows that our souls are much better off when we suffer in humility than when we prosper in pride.

Have you ever met someone who is spiritually arrogant—someone who thinks they are God’s gift to the world? They are so obnoxious that God could never use them for his kingdom. God gives most of us at least one thorn to keep us relying on him. Think about it this way—if you don’t have any thorns, you might not be a rose. Indeed, every rose has its thorn!

2.) The Source of the Thorn (7)
After Paul reveals the reason for the thorn in his flesh, he exposes the source of the thorn. On one hand, the source of his thorn was God. He employs a grammatical construction known as the divine passive when he says “there was given me.” It could actually be translated “there was given me by God.” On the other hand, he says that it is a “messenger of Satan.” How can it be that both God and Satan are the source of Paul’s suffering?

We are far more familiar with the concept of Satan causing suffering than we are God, but God is the unseen agent behind this bitter experience. Satan is the immediate source; God is the ultimate source. God is completely sovereign over Satan, but sometimes he allows the devil to make us suffer so that we may be tested, purified, and perfected.

Make no mistake about it—Satan is real! And he really does seek to destroy our lives! But we must always remember that God is sovereign over Satan and he will never allow him to do anything to us that he hasn’t ordained. Satan uses suffering to harm us, but God uses it to help us.

3.) The Response to the Thorn (8)
Paul had suffered with this thorn in his flesh for at least fourteen years. What was his response to it? The same as us, he despised it! He prayed for the Lord to heal him from it on at least three occasions (which is really a way of saying that he continually prayed for healing). He wasn’t some kind of masochist who took pleasure in pain. He knew that God could heal; God had even used him to miraculously heal others. But God would not answer his prayer. Despite his persistent pleas for deliverance, God did not remove his thorn.

Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever prayed earnestly for something, but God didn’t answer your prayer? Have you ever prayed for healing for you or someone else and God didn’t do it? Have you ever begged God to remove the thorn in your flesh and yet it still sticks in you?

Have you ever wondered why God doesn’t answer all of our prayers? So often, our desires and plans are not God’s desires and plans. When we experience the disappointment of unanswered prayers, we must always remember that he has our best interest in mind and that his plan is always better than ours!

Some of you will recognize the words to this country song:

Just the other night at a hometown football game
My wife and I ran into my old high school flame
And as I introduced them the past came back to me
And I couldn’t help but think of the way things used to be

She was the one that I’d wanted for all times
And each night I’d spend prayin’ that God would make her mine
And if he’d only grant me this wish I wished back then
I’d never ask for anything again

She wasn’t quite the angel that i remembered in my dreams
And I could tell that time had changed me
In her eyes to it seemed
We tried to talk about the old days
There wasn’t much we could recall
I guess the Lord knows what he’s doin’ after all.

And as she walked away and i looked at my wife
And then and there I thanked the good Lord
For the gifts in my life.

Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers
Remember when your talkin to the man upstairs
That just because he may not answer doesn’t mean he don’t care
Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.

4.) The Result of the Thorn (9-10)
Well, Jesus told Paul that he wasn’t going to remove the thorn in his flesh, but he told him that he would give him something even better: his grace and power. Jesus declared that his own grace would be sufficient for Paul in the midst of his suffering, for his weaknesses would provide a platform for perfecting the Lord’s power. This is why Paul could delight in his weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties. When he was weak in himself, he was strong in Christ!

This is the great paradox of Christianity—Christ’s power is made perfect in our weaknesses. This is why we can actually be thankful for our problems in life. Like Paul, we can actually delight in our weaknesses, sufferings, hardships, insults, and difficulties. When our sinful self-sufficiency is stripped away by suffering, we can experience Christ’s grace and power more deeply.

How do you view your weaknesses and hardships? What result has your sufferings produced? Have you experienced this profound paradox?

What is the thorn in your flesh today? Is it some physical illness, injury, or handicap? Is it unemployment, insufficient income, or financial anxiety? Is it a learning disability or lack of opportunity? Is it an unbelieving spouse, a problem child, or a family conflict? Is it some bad habit, besetting sin, or constant temptation? Is it a feeling of loneliness, grief, or depression?

I don’t what your thorn is, but I do know that God gives us thorns to keep us humble and relying upon him! He gives us weaknesses so that we might experience his power! He gives us pain so that we might experience his peace! He gives us grief so that we might experience his grace!

He gives us thorns so that we might remember his thorns! Do you remember that crown of thorns that was twisted and pressed into Jesus’ head before he hung on the cross? Do you remember the blood that ran down his face? Jesus endured those thorns so that we could experience his grace and be forgiven for our sins! Indeed, every rose has its thorn!

As I conclude today, allow me to read you a poem that puts all of this in perspective. It was written by Bonita Quesinberry and is titled “A Thorn in My Side.”

He was one of the devoted Pharisees called Saul,
a man of God with whom I identify named Paul.
He had approved of minister Stephen’s stoning death,
threats and slaughter of Christ’s disciples on ole Saul’s breath:
until the day he set out for Damascus with friends,
where he would arrest and the will of believers bend.
But, the spirit of Jesus caught Saul just outside town:
Saul, frightened beyond measure, fell trembling to the ground.
Then, Paul did absolutely all Jesus commanded;
yet, there would be a heavy price of him demanded.
He was given gifts like the Apostles, greater even;
but, Paul was made a minister in place of Stephen.
Paul suffered ill health, lack of basic needs and distress,
all for Christ’s sake, and persecution with no redress.
Three times he begged of our Lord to take these things away:
“My grace is sufficient for thee,” Jesus once would say,
“for my strength is made perfect in weakness,” He ended.
Paul knew the thorn in his flesh humility tended.
I considered the many sins I did against God
and knew I was no better than Paul, less than wet sod:
yet, eventually He chose my pen for His tongue.
Little did I think more spiritual gifts would come;
then, I received prophecy and interpretation,
followed by teaching it all to this generation.
I thought about the things I’m called for speaking God’s Ways,
lies abound, the pain of MS and Lupus most days.
I recall the times I begged for physical relief,
at once to be shown His gifts given for my belief;
so I do understand this thorn to keep me humble.
Oh, but Satan earnestly desires me to tumble.
Thus, much like Paul, I glory in my infirmities,
that the power of Christ may continue upon me;
for when I am weak, then I am strong and turn to Him,
singing His praises and humming that Rugged Cross hymn:
I’m reminded that none of this is what it might seem.
It only means that soon enough my Lord shall redeem.