How God Uses Suffering
12: 5-10
How God Uses Suffering DIG: Notice the different ways Paul used the word “weak” or a variation of it in these verses. Highlight instances where being “weak” is a good thing. What do you think Paul meant when he spoke of receiving a “thorn in the flesh?” Why did Paul view that ongoing difficulty – whatever it was – as a good thing? How was his attitude different from merely “positive thinking?” What was Satan’s message for Paul? What was God’s message?
REFLECT: What are some personal weaknesses or ongoing afflictions you find it difficult to live with? How does God use “weaknesses” and thorns to bring about His purposes and to shape believers’ lives? How do “weaknesses” cause believers to grow in their trust in the Lord? What would be your likely response if you had the strength and knowledge to handle every given situation that came your way? When has God said “No!” to you? The result?
God works best when I consider my weakness.
The question of why bad things happen to seemingly good people is an issue that troubles many. Disease, crime, hunger, poverty, accidents, and natural disasters seem to strike without rhyme or reason, affecting both the seemingly innocent and the guilty alike. But the Bible teaches that bad things happen to all people because all are fallen sinners who live in a fallen world. No one is inherently good: There is none righteous, not even one (Romans 3:10). Even God’s most noble servants are not immune to suffering. The pages of the Bible are full of them. How Paul handled suffering provides a model for all believers. No text in Scripture more powerfully displays God’s purposes in believers’ pain than does this passage. Paul was very emotional here about his personal pain. So from the trial of Paul’s suffering emerge five reasons that God allows suffering in the lives of believers.275
1. God uses suffering to reveal believers’ spiritual condition (12:5-6): Trouble is the truest test of a person’s spiritual character. When adversity strikes, the superficial veneer of peace and happiness is stripped away, revealing what is really in the heart. The Lord brought intense suffering into Paul’s life in part to reveal his integrity for all to see and establish to his credibility. About such a man I will boast; but about myself I will not boast, except in regard to my weaknesses (12:5). What Paul boasted about were his weaknesses, for they provided compelling proof of his apostleship. How else could his immense impact be explained, except that God’s power was at work in him? As his enemies were quick to point out, Paul’s letters were weighty and powerful, but when he appeared in person he was weak, and as a speaker he was nothing (10:10). But what they failed to understand was that, paradoxically, Paul was strongest when he was weakest (12:10).
Paul’s boast was not foolish, for unlike the false apostles (to see link click Af – The Problem of the False Apostles) and their baseless claims, He was speaking the truth. His vision really happened, and to deny that would be false humility. Nevertheless, because of the extraordinary greatness of the revelations, Paul wisely refrained from resting his case for his apostleship on his vision alone. The problem was that it was not repeatable, verifiable, or even fully comprehensible. Besides, it didn’t draw people to God, and was, in fact, a potential source of temptation of pride (12:7). Paul was concerned that no one will think more of him than what his words or deeds may warrant (12:6). The true measure of believers is not their mystical experiences, but their godly life and their faithfulness to the Word of God. The most startling, spectacular vision or supernatural revelation is not as significant as the least righteous act. God plunged Paul into the deepest sorrow and the severest pain to reveal most clearly that he was a genuinely humble man of God (Colossians 2:18-19).276
2. God uses suffering to humble believers (12:7): Therefore, to keep me from becoming overly proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from the Adversary to pound away at me, so that I wouldn’t grow conceited (Greek: huperairo, meaning to lift or raise over, to uplift oneself). The Lord knows how to balance our lives. If we have only blessings, we may become proud; so He permits us to have burdens as well. Paul’s great experience in heaven could have ruined his ministry on earth; so ADONAI, in His goodness, permitted the Ruler of Darkness to pound away at him in order to keep him from becoming proud.
The mystery of human suffering will not be solved completely in this life. Sometimes we suffer simply because we are human beings with a fallen sin nature (see the commentary on Romans Bm – The Consequences of Adam). Our bodies change as we grow older, and we are susceptible to the normal problems of life. The same body that can bring us pleasure can also bring us pain. The same family members and friends who delight us can also break our hearts.
Sometimes we suffer because we are foolish and disobedient to the Lord. Our own rebellion may afflict us, or the Lord may see fit to discipline us in His love (see the commentary on Hebrews Cz – God Disciplines His Children). King David suffered greatly because of his sin; the consequences were painful and so was the discipline (see the commentary on the Life of David Df – O God, A Broken and Contrite Heart You Will Not Despise ). In His grace, God forgives our sins; but in His righteousness, He must permit us to reap what we have sown.
Suffering is a tool that ADONAI uses for building godly character (see the commentary on Romans Bi – The Perfecting of Justification). Certainly, Paul was a man of godly character because he permitted God to mold and make him in the painful experiences of his life. When you walk along the shore of the ocean, you notice that the rocks are sharpest in the quiet coves, but polished in those places where the waves have beaten against them. The Lord can use the ”waves of life” to polish us . . . if we let Him. Paul’s thorn in the flesh was given to him to keep him from sinning. Exciting spiritual experiences – like going to heaven and back (12:1-4) – have a way of inflating the human ego; and pride leads to a wealth of temptations to sin. Had Paul’s heart been filled with pride, those next fourteen years would have been filled with failure instead of success.
We do not know what Paul’s thorn in the flesh was. The word translated thorn means a sharp stake used for torturing or impaling someone. It was a physical affliction of some kind that brought pain and distress to the apostle. Some Bible students think that Paul had an eye affliction (see the commentary on Galatians Ch – The Autograph: See the Large Letters I Am Writing with My Own Hand). But we cannot know for sure. It’s a good thing that we do not know, because no matter what our sufferings may be, we are able to apply the lessons Paul learned and get encouragement.
God permitted the Lawless One to afflict Paul, just as He permitted the Lawless One to afflict Job (Job 1-2). While we do not fully understand the origin of evil in the universe, or all the purposes that Ha’Shem had in mind when He permitted evil to come into existence, we do know that ADONAI controls evil and can use it, even for His own glory. The Adversary cannot work against a believer without the permission of God. Everything that the enemy did to Job and Paul was permitted by the will of YHVH.
The Devil was permitted to pound away (Greek: kolaphizo, meaning a blow with the fist) at Paul. The tense of the verb indicates that this pain was either constant or recurring. When you stop to think that Paul had letters to write, trips to take, sermons to preach, churches to visit, and dangers to face as he ministered, you can understand that this was a very serious matter. No wonder he prayed three times (see below), as the Lord had done in the Garden (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Lb – The Garden of Gethsemane), that the affliction might be removed from him.
When God permits suffering in our lives, there are several ways we can deal with it. Some people become bitter and blame Him for robbing them of freedom or pleasure. Others just give up and fail to get any blessing out of the experience because they will not exhibit any courage. Still others grit their teeth and put on a brave face, determined to endure to the very end. While that is a courageous response, it usually drains them of the strength needed for daily living; and after a time, they may collapse.277
3. God’s uses suffering to draw believers to Himself (12:8): Three times I begged the Lord to take this thing away from me. Was Paul sinning when he prayed to be delivered from the pounding he was taking from the Ruler of this World? I don’t think so. It’s certainly a normal thing for a believer to ask ADONAI for deliverance from sickness and pain. The Lord is not obligated Himself to heal every believer when they pray; but He has encouraged us to bring our burdens and needs to Him. The apostle didn’t know whether his thorn in the flesh was a temporary testing from YHVH, or a permanent experience he would have to live with.
There are those health and wealth advocates who want us to believe that an afflicted believer is a disgrace to God. “If you are obeying the Lord and claiming all that you have in Messiah,” they say, “then you’ll never be sick.” I have never found that teaching in the Bible. It is true that ADONAI promised the Jews special blessing and protection during the Dispensation of Torah (Deuteronomy 7:12), but He never promised B’rit Chadashah believers freedom from sickness or suffering. If Paul had access to instant healing because of his relationship to Messiah, then why didn’t he make use of it for himself and for others, such as Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:25ff).
What a contrast between Paul’s two experiences. He went from Paradise to pain, from glory to suffering. He tasted the blessing of God in heaven and then felt the blows from the Enemy on the earth. He went from ecstasy to agony, and yet the two experiences belong together. His one experience of glory prepared him for the constant experience of suffering, for he knew that the Lord was able to meet his need. Paul had gone to heaven . . . but then he learned that heaven could come to him!
4. God uses suffering to display His grace (12:9a): Two messages were involved in Paul’s painful experience. The thorn in the flesh was the Old Serpent’s message, but God had another message for him . . . a message of grace. The tense of the verb in this verse is important: But he told me. God gave Paul a message that stayed with him. The apostle was not permitted to share the words he heard while in heaven. But he did share the words God gave him on the earth: My grace is enough for you. And how encouraging those words were.
What is grace? It is God’s provision for our every need when we need it. It has been said that God in His grace gives us what we do not deserve, and in His mercy, He does not give us what we do deserve. Someone has made an acrostic of the word grace: God’s Riches Available at Christ’s Expense. And of Christ’s fullness have all we received, and grace for grace (John 1:16).
As Paul prayed about his problem, God gave him a deeper insight. He learned that his thorn in the flesh was actually a gift from God. But what a strange gift! There was only one thing for him to do: accept the gift and allow God to accomplish His purposes. God wanted to keep Paul from being “big-headed” and that was His way of accomplishing it.
Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You for being such a loving father that you wisely allow short earthly trials and problems in my life – so that You can reward me for all eternity when I trust and love You in my trials. Your desire is always to bless me. You are looking to the future and how long eternity stretches out. You know I will forget my trials once I am living in heaven with You and then will enjoy my rewards forever!
You use trials and problems as tools to refine the purity of faith in me and to bring praise and glory to Messiah. These trials are so that the true metal of your faith (far more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire) may come to light in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Messiah Yeshua (First Peter 1:7). If it were possible, I would want to give You a big gift for all You have so graciously given me. But, the gift You most want is me! How indescribably wonderful! Yet, it would not be much of a gift if I gave you myself as sluggard, unrefined gold; rather, I thank You that You refine me so that when I get to heaven and present myself to You as my gift of love, I will have been refined by the fire of trials and made purer.
I want to be as pure of a gift of gold as possible. I do not like trials but when I think of them as a scrub brush in your hand to make me shine more for Yeshua – then I say, “ Bring on the trials. Then they will help me be a purer vessel for my Lord and Savior, Yeshua Messiah. Thank You that Your hand is on the heat of the fire and You will never let it get too hot. You are with me in each trial, encouraging and guiding me. Praise You, For God Himself has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). When I am in a trial, I will gently squeeze Your hand and look up into Your face, thanking You for giving the trial so you can reward me for all eternity! In Your holy Son’s name and power of His resurrection. Amen
When Paul accepted his affliction as a gift from God, this made it possible for God’s grace to work in his life. It was then that God spoke to Paul and gave him the assurance of His grace. Whenever you are going through suffering, spend extra time in the Word of God, and you can be sure that ADONAI will speak to you. He always has a special message for His children when they are afflicted.
God did not give Paul any explanations; instead, He gave him a promise: My grace is sufficient for you. We do not live on explanations; we live on promises. Our feelings change, but God’s promises never change. Promises generate faith, and faith generates hope.
Paul claimed God’s promise and drew on the grace that was offered to him; this turned seeming tragedy into triumph. God didn’t change the situation by removing the affliction; He changed it by adding a new ingredient: grace. Our God is the God of all grace (First Peter 5:10), and His throne is a throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). The Word of God is the word of His grace (Acts 20:32), and the promise is that He will give even more grace (James 4:6). No matter how we look at it, God is adequate for every need that we have.
But God does not give us His grace simply that we might “endure” our sufferings. Even people who are lost and in the world can display great endurance. God’s grace should enable us to rise above our circumstances and feelings and cause our affliction to work for us in accomplishing positive good. God wants to build our character so that we are more like our Savior. God’s grace enabled Paul not only to accept his affliction, but also to glory in it. His suffering was not a tyrant that controlled him but a servant that worked for him.278
5. God uses suffering to perfect His power (12:9b-10): What benefits did Paul receive because of his suffering? For one thing he experienced the power of Messiah in his life: for my power is brought to perfection in weakness.” It wasn’t that Paul preferred pain to health, but rather that he knew how to turn his infirmity into an asset. He was suffering for the sake of Yeshua Messiah. He glorified God by the way he accepted the difficult experience.
God loves to use weak people. Everyone has weaknesses. In fact, you have a bundle of flaws and imperfections; physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. You may also have uncontrollable circumstances that weaken you. The more important issue is what you do with these. Usually, we deny our weaknesses, and defend them, excuse them, hide them, and resent them. But this prevents God from using them the way He desires. The Bible says: God chose what the world considers weak in order to shame the strong (First Corinthians 1:27). Your weaknesses are not an accident. God deliberately allowed them in your life for the purpose of demonstrating His power through you.
A weakness, or thorn as Paul called it, is not a sin or a vice or a character defect that you can change, such as overeating or impatience. A weakness is any limitation that you inherited or have no power to change. It may be a physical limitation, like a handicap, a chronic illness, naturally low energy, or a disability. It may be an emotional limitation, such as a trauma scar, a hurtful memory, a personality quirk, or a hereditary disposition. Or it may be a talent or intellectual limitation. We’re not all super bright or talented.
When you think of the limitations in your life, you may be tempted to conclude, “God could never use me.” But God is never limited by our limitations. In fact, He enjoys putting His great power into ordinary containers (see Az – Priceless Treasure in Clay Jars). Like common pottery, we are fragile, flawed, and break easily. But God will use us if we allow Him to work through our weaknesses. For that to happen, we must follow the model of Paul.
Admit your weakness: Own up to your imperfections. Stop pretending to have it all together, and be honest about yourself. Instead of living in denial or making excuses, take the time to identify your personal weaknesses. When the people of Lystra tried to idolize Paul, he declared: We too are human, just like you (Acts 14:15). If you want God to use you, you must know who God is and know who you are. Many believers, especially leaders, forget that they are only human. If it takes a crisis to get you to admit this, God won’t hesitate to allow it, because He loves you.
Be content with your weaknesses: Paul said: Therefore, I am very happy to boast about my weaknesses, in order that the Messiah’s power will rest upon me Yes, I am well pleased with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and difficulties endured on behalf of the Messiah (12:10a). At first this doesn’t make sense. We want to be freed from our weaknesses, not to be content with them! But contentment is an expression of faith in the goodness of God. It says, “God, I believe You love me and know what’s best for me.” Paul gives us several reasons to be content with our weaknesses.
Our weaknesses cause us to depend on God. Referring to his own weakness, which God refused to take away, Paul said: For it is when I am weak that I am strong (12:10b). Whenever you feel weak, God is reminding you to depend on Him.
Our weaknesses also prevent arrogance. They keep us humble. Therefore, to keep me from becoming overly proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from the Adversary to pound away at me, so that I wouldn’t grow conceited (12:7). God often attaches a major weakness to a major strength to keep our egos in check, A limitation can act as a governor to keep us from going too fast and running ahead of God.
Our weaknesses encourage fellowship between believers. While strength breeds an independent spirit, our limitations show how much we need each other. When we weave the weak strands of our lives together, a rope of great strength is created.
Most of all our weaknesses increase our capacity for sympathy and ministry. We become far more likely to be compassionate and considerate of the weaknesses of others. God wants you to have a ministry on earth. That means other people are going to find healing in your wounds. Your greatest life messages and your most effective ministry will come out of your deepest hurts. The things you’re most embarrassed about, the most ashamed of, and the most reluctant to share are the very tools God can use most to help others.
Honestly share your weaknesses: Ministry begins with vulnerability. The more you let down your guard, and share your struggles, the more God will be able to use you in serving others (Romans 7:19; Second Corinthians 1:8 and 6:11; First Corinthians 2:3). Of course, vulnerability is risky. It can be scary to lower your defenses and open up your life to others. You risk rejection. But the benefits are worth the risk. Vulnerability is emotionally liberating. Opening up relieves stress, defuses your fears, and is the first step to freedom.
God gives grace to the humble, but many misunderstand humility. It is not putting yourself down or denying your strengths, it is being honest about your weaknesses. The more honest you are, the more of God’s grace you get. You will also receive grace from others. Vulnerability is an enduring quality; we are naturally drawn to humble people. Pretentiousness repels, but authenticity attracts, and vulnerability is the pathway to intimacy.
This is why God wants to use your weaknesses, not just your strengths. If all people see is your strengths, they get discouraged and think, “Well, good for him (her), but I’ll never be able to do that.” But when they see God using you in spite of your weaknesses, it encourages them to think, “Well, maybe God could use me!”
At some point in your life, you must decide whether you want to impress people or influence people. You can impress people from a distance, but you must get close to influence them, and when you do that, they will be able to see your flaws. That’s okay. The most essential quality for leadership is not perfection, but credibility. People must be able to trust you, or they won’t follow you. How do you build credibility? Not by pretending to be perfect, but by being honest.
Glory in your weakness: Paul said: About myself I will not boast, except in regard to my weaknesses (12:5b). Instead of posing as self-confident and invincible, see yourself as a trophy of God’s grace. When Satan points out your weaknesses, agree with him and fill your heart with praise for Yeshua Messiah, who understands our weaknesses (Hebrews 4:15a) and for the Spirit of God who helps us in our weakness (Romans 8:26a).279
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