“Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish”
(Isaiah 38:17).
A paradox is
a statement or situation that seems to be contradictory but is in fact true,
and Scripture is full of them. In dying
to self, we gain eternal life; in humbling ourselves before others, we will be
exalted before Christ; in becoming a slave to Christ and His commands, we are
free to live as we were created to live; in our weakness we see God’s powerful
strength; although poor by the world’s standards, we have eternal riches.
The thorns of affliction touched
many Biblical characters. How many times
have we remembered Job when life seems too unbearable? Could Paul have written such words to spur us
on if he had not had a thorn of his own?
And the crowning thorns of affliction were placed on the head of Christ
himself. Without that affliction we
would be eternally lost.
Psalm 119
says God allows affliction that we might learn His decrees and see His
faithfulness. James tells us that earthly trials bring eternal
reward as well as perseverance and spiritual maturity now. Affliction forces us
to rely completely on God and His strength, trusting Him to bring us through no
matter how overwhelming our circumstances or how excruciating our pain. It
brings a depth of character that nothing else can. We may think that we would
prefer less character and maturity, but God knows what joys and blessings await
us as a result of them.
The thorns of a rose bush cause
great pain but the roses themselves bring great beauty. God is using the thorns of affliction to show
the most beautiful paradox of all – in dying, we live.
Prayer: My God, I have never thanked thee for my
thorn. I have thanked thee a thousand
times for my roses, but not once for my thorn.
I have been looking forward to a world where I shall get compensation
for my cross, but I have never thought of my cross itself as a present glory. Thou divine Love, whose human path has been
perfected through suffering, teach me the glory of my cross, teach me the value
of my thorn. Amen. (George Matheson).
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