Chronic pain and illness can feel overwhelming, but God’s answer to Paul’s persistent prayers was not immediate healing, but a promise: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” In our weakest moments, when we feel most helpless, God’s strength is most clearly displayed. Rather than removing every hardship, God offers a sustaining grace that satisfies and transforms our suffering into a testimony of His power. When we surrender our pain to Him, we discover a deeper experience of His presence and sufficiency that we might never have known otherwise. [35:22]
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (ESV)
"So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave 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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
Reflection: What is one area of weakness or pain in your life where you can invite God to display His strength today, rather than simply asking Him to remove it?
Pain and suffering are not random or meaningless; sometimes they are the result of living in a broken world, sometimes they are God’s loving discipline, and sometimes they are a protection against greater dangers like pride. Even when we cannot see the purpose, God is sovereign over every thorn, and nothing enters our lives without passing through His loving hands. Trusting that God has a reason—even when we do not understand—can bring peace and hope in the midst of suffering. [41:24]
Genesis 3:16-19 (ESV)
"To the woman he said, 'I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.' And to Adam he said, 'Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, "You shall not eat of it," cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.'"
Reflection: Can you identify a painful experience in your life that, in hindsight, God used for your growth, protection, or to draw you closer to Him?
When we are hurting, our natural response is to cry out for relief, but God invites us to listen for His voice in the midst of our pain. Sometimes, like Paul, we receive a gentle but firm “no” to our prayers for deliverance, and even Jesus Himself experienced this in Gethsemane. Yet, God’s silence is not His absence; He may be drawing us closer to Himself, teaching us to trust Him more deeply, and revealing a greater measure of His love than we ever imagined. [51:49]
Luke 22:41-44 (ESV)
"And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, 'Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.' And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground."
Reflection: In a current struggle, how can you shift from only asking God for relief to also listening for what He might be saying to you through the pain?
God does not waste our suffering; He comforts us in our affliction so that we can comfort others with the same comfort we have received. The very scars and struggles we wish would disappear can become the means by which we minister to others, offering hope and encouragement to those walking similar paths. When we allow God to use our pain as a platform, our stories become powerful testimonies of His grace and faithfulness. [56:59]
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (ESV)
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."
Reflection: Who in your life is facing a struggle you have experienced, and how can you reach out to them today with the comfort God has given you?
God’s grace is not merely enough to help us survive our hardships; it is enough to satisfy us deeply, even when our circumstances do not change. When we surrender to His will and trust in His sufficiency, we find a purpose and peace that transcends our pain. Like those who have found meaning and even joy in the midst of chronic illness or loss, we can say, “I wouldn’t trade it in,” because God’s grace has brought us closer to Him and given us a new sense of purpose. [54:18]
Philippians 4:11-13 (ESV)
"Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me."
Reflection: What would it look like for you to move from simply enduring your pain to finding satisfaction and purpose in God’s grace right where you are today?
Life is not always lived on the mountaintop; often, we find ourselves descending into valleys—places of pain, chronic illness, and unanswered prayers. Chronic pain and illness are not just issues for the elderly; they touch every generation, from cancer and heart disease to infertility and life-altering injuries. These valleys are real, and for many, the miracle of healing does not come. Yet, in these moments, we are confronted with a profound tension: we believe God is almighty and good, but we also experience suffering that seems to contradict those truths.
Paul’s experience in 2 Corinthians 12 offers a window into this struggle. For fourteen years, he endured a “thorn in the flesh”—a debilitating, chronic condition. The nature of his suffering is left intentionally vague, allowing all of us to see our own pain reflected in his story. Paul describes his affliction as both a “messenger of Satan” and a gift “given” by God, echoing the story of Job, where Satan’s actions are always under God’s sovereign supervision. This is a hard truth: God allows suffering, but He is never absent or out of control.
There are reasons for these thorns. Sometimes, pain is simply the result of living in a broken world marred by sin. Other times, it is the loving discipline of a good Father, shaping us for holiness. And sometimes, as with Paul, pain is a protection—guarding us from pride or other dangers that could derail our souls. The story of Eric Weihenmayer, the first blind person to climb Mount Everest, reminds us that while we cannot control our suffering, we can control our response. Pain becomes a training ground for strength.
In the valley, our instinct is to cry out for relief, but the deeper invitation is to listen for God’s voice. Paul pleaded with God for healing and received a gentle but firm “no.” Even Jesus, in Gethsemane, received a “no” from the Father. Yet, God’s “no” is never the end; it is always in service of a greater “yes.” For Paul, that “yes” was the sufficiency of God’s grace—grace that does not merely help us get by, but truly satisfies and perfects God’s power in our weakness.
Our pain, then, is not wasted. It becomes a platform—a way to comfort others with the comfort we have received, to serve out of our scars, and to bring glory to God. Like Michael J. Fox, who found purpose in his Parkinson’s, we may come to a place where we would not trade our suffering, because it has become the very means by which God uses us to reach others and display His glory.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (ESV) — > So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave 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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
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