Thankful for the Thorns

 

Thankful for the Thorns That is why, for the sake of Christ, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10 The literal translation of this verse gives a startling emphasis to it, and makes it speak for itself with a force that we have probably never realized. Here it is: “Therefore, I take pleasure in being without strength, in insults, in being pinched, in being chased about, in being cooped up in a corner for Christ’s sake; for when I am without strength, then am I dynamite.” There is the secret of Divine all-sufficiency: to come to the end of everything in ourselves and in our circumstances. When we reach this place of utmost trust in God, we will stop asking for sympathy because of our hard situation or bad treatment. Instead, we will recognize these things as the very conditions of our blessing! When we turn from our hardships and instead look with devoted hearts to God, then we will find we have invested a claim upon Him. By A. B. Simpson