Set-Backs Can Become Springboards

If you like television travel programmes, you’ve probably watched some of Michael Palin’s epic adventures. Whether in the Sahara or the Himalayas, even he - with all the mighty resources of the BBC to smooth his way - has occasionally encountered setbacks in reaching the more remote parts of the globe.

Imagine, then, the sheer magnitude of difficulties faced by Paul - the ‘Michael Palin’ traveller of the New Testament - as he took the message of Jesus to mainland Europe, in what is known today as Syria, Turkey, Greece, Malta and Italy. His goal was to establish Christian communities wherever he went. Grand tours and luxury holidays did not feature in Paul’s travels. With no buses to hop on, and no trains or planes to take the strain, ‘Shanks’s pony’ was his most reliable mode of transport. Along the way, Paul also coped with shipwrecks, imprisonment, floggings - and something he described as a ‘thorn in the flesh’.

Writing to believers in Corinth, he said: ‘I was given a thorn in my flesh… to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me’ (2 Corinthians 12:7, 8 New International Version). Nowadays, we tend to use this phrase to describe someone who annoys or irritates us. A ‘pain in the neck’ is another way of putting it.

There are many theories about Paul’s ‘thorn in the flesh’. Some scholars think it was probably a physical affliction or recurring illness, such as malaria. Whatever it was, it didn’t stop him from achieving great things - helped by his strong belief in the saving power of Jesus.

Although Paul asked God to take away his affliction three times, God didn’t answer that prayer. But he did promise to give Paul the strength to deal with it. Paul writes that God said to him: ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’ (2 Corinthians 12:9). Paul believed in God’s promise. And God offers the same strength to us today. When our going gets tough, there’s no better promise for us to hold on to.

UK & Ireland War Cry 24 May 2014