We often do not look upon weaknesses and hindrances as positives in our lives and we do all in our power to rid ourselves of them as we should. But sometimes those things remain with us. We too have the same prayer as the Apostle Paul did. If this hindrance was taken away we would be able to function as a better servant. But sometimes God says "no" and some of these very things are GIFTS of God to us and also have a unique purpose...that the glory be GOD'S and not ours.

We don't know what hindrance Paul had but it was a thorn in the flesh like a sliver or something continually bothersome. Paul does not tell us that thorn, but expounds that we can apply the situation to ourselves throughout life. "It was a messenger of Satan to buffet him." A continual "fist blow" to him. Satan buffets us also to taunt us in our weakness like Job. The devil delights in taunting us in the thorn of the flesh and our weakness and we too experience these thorns ourselves very often.

The Lord gives these things as a gift with a purpose in mind and uses even the devil for us and turns everything to our profit and elicits His own glory in and through them! Seldom do we ask ourselves why WE have the need in ourselves for these thorns and why Satan buffets us. ALL THINGS however ARE subservient to the will of God to accomplish HIS WILL IN US! We must look to see in ourselves why we have the need to have these thorns in our flesh. God has a purpose that Paul comes to understand. Sometimes we are tempted to think of ourselves better than we are while others put us on a pedestal feeding our own self glory (as Paul feared) but it is the glory of GOD to use weakness to show HIS great glory...even as He did in Paul. We must remember it is NOT about us but about GOD! We need to understand the answer of the Lord...not in regards to the thorn, but that His grace is always sufficient. "You can't walk because I'm going to carry you and you can't scale that mountain because I'm going to set you on the rock Christ Jesus."