Mark Sorensen Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:8-10)
I was taking something out of the oven recently and, unbeknownst to me, used a pair of oven mitts that – according to my wife – should have been retired months ago. Why? Because they have a hole in them right in the area where your thumb connects to the rest of your hand. Imagine my surprise when – taking the hot pan out of the oven – my “gripper” finger suddenly stopped gripping. Thankfully, no medical attention was needed and no one was harmed in the removing of a casserole; however, two things happened simultaneously upon feeling the burn. One, I broke out into extemporaneous praise dance moves (or so my wife says) with hands raised high and two, I retired the dangerous, malfunctioning oven mitt.
We have the tendency to get burns in our lives, don’t we? There are physical burns, of course, but there are emotional ones as well. Fear, anxiety and circumstances beyond our control can inflict us with such pain and uncertainty. Yet, in the passage from 2 Corinthians that I preached from last Sunday morning, we learned that God, in His goodness, has given us such a gift. He gives us gloves of grace to handle the thorns that may come our way.
There are three things to remember as this new day begins, friends. One, thorns happen. Read Paul’s resume of suffering in 2 Corinthians 11:23-29. Paul was no stranger to hardships and trials. The truth is, we mustn’t be surprised when we experience the hardships. It’s how we treat the thorns that can make all the difference. That leads me to the second point: thorns can have a purpose. Read Acts 16:16-34. Paul and Silas, on one of their missionary travels, were accused of a crime and thrown into prison and beaten. It’s there, amidst the thorns, that they worshiped. And Scripture said, “the other prisoners were listening” (Acts16:25). What transpired? People were saved and a community was transformed by the Good News of Jesus Christ because of their worship amidst the thorns. Thorns happen, thorns can have a purpose, and lastly, thorns bring power. What power you may ask? The power of the Holy Spirit that’s at work within our lives. Remember: when we’re weak, God is strong!
So may you lean into God’s sufficient and strengthening grace today, friends, and may we all be covered by God’s equipping, transforming and always protective gloves of grace.
And God’s people said, amen!
