2 Corinthians 12:7b-8 (NIV)
What was Paul’s thorn in his flesh? Who or what was this messenger of Satan that tormented him?
Lust?
During my teenage years I wondered if Paul’s thorn was lust. Hormones were thick during middle and high school. Teenagers had freedom with minimal supervision. Backroads, deserted hallways, unmonitored cable access; all this mixed with raging hormones and peer pressure created quite the set-up for stupidity. Lustful temptation was around every corner. I wondered if Paul, single and alone, struggled with similar temptations.
Same-Sex Attraction?
In college, I had a friend suggest that Paul could have struggled with his sexual identity. What if his thorn was same-sex attraction? He lived in a pagan culture with temple prostitutes practicing all sorts of sexual rituals with both genders. Sexual temptation would have been in most towns he visited. What if his lust was for men and he continually chose to fight this temptation for the sake of Christ?
People?
Once I entered the full-time workplace, I wondered if Paul’s thorn was a literal messenger from Satan. People are cruel. Backbiting, one-upping, gossiping, arguing—adults are worse than highschoolers. Some scholars believe Paul made enemies along the way, or in this case, one long-term rival. A spiteful person could have made Paul’s life a nightmare, thus being deemed a messenger from Satan.
Stomach Issue?
On a mission trip overseas, I contracted bacteria from the water and stayed sick for five weeks. This experience led me to wonder if Paul’s thorn was some sort of stomach ailment. Our gut health dictates so much of what we are able to do; and frequent potty breaks would have been a frustrating thorn in Paul’s side.
Illness?
As I grow older and visit the doctor more frequently, I wonder if Paul had some sort of lifelong disease. What if he had rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or a nerve disease? These illnesses are generally unseen to the onlooker but greatly dictate a person’s day. Pain, brain fog, and physical limitations would have impacted Paul, and modern medicine didn’t exist. This would have been a huge thorn in his flesh.
Mental or Emotional?
More people are talking about mental health than ever before. As I scroll through social media posts and confessions, I wonder if Paul’s thorn was inside his head. Did he battle depression? Anxiety? Bipolar tendencies? Negative self-talk? What if his thorn was the sharp pain and constant struggle of fighting himself?
Love?
Or what if Paul had a deep love when he was a young pharisee and this woman refused to convert to The Way? What if his thorn was the chasm that love left in his heart? Did this woman demean him? Destroy his name? Or was it Paul’s zealous commitment to Christ that forced them to remain apart?
We Don’t Know
Paul never identifies his thorn, but we know it tortured him deeply. He begged God three separate times to remove it from his life. I can imagine Paul, on his hands and knees, begging God through streaming tears to take the affliction away. Traveling, serving, and obeying had to be difficult knowing there was constant oppression in his life.
God’s response to Paul in verses nine and ten bring this picture into perspective. “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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Even though Paul begged. Even though he poured out his request three times. God still said no. There was purpose in the pain. And Paul needed to stop relying on his own strength and learn to trust in God’s strength. When I am weak, then I am strong.
Paul didn’t get angry with God and stop serving. He didn’t throw his sucker in the dirt and leave God’s call on his life. There isn’t even a hint of bitterness in his words. Paul accepts this lot in life and chooses to not only embrace the weaknesses, but to boast about them. Weaknesses, hardships, insults, difficulties, and persecutions will happen, but Paul understood when he is weak, Christ will step in and become strong.
Dependence?
Paul’s thorn was left to keep him humble. Dependent. Obedient. Faithful. Trusting. Connected. In his weakness, he knew the only solution was God’s strength alone. There was nowhere else to turn. He was all in with Jesus. And he was thankful enough for the thorn that he chose to boast about his weakness and let everyone know the source of his strength was always Christ Jesus.
Our Thorns
God allows thorns in our lives too. Lust and sexual temptations. People, whether coworkers, family members, or supposed friends. Illnesses, seen and unseen. Mental or emotional battles. Love that could never be.
Or maybe our thorn is something else. Maybe it’s the decision made by another person and it now impacts our entire life. Addiction. Abortion. Prison. Abuse. Infidelity. Narcissism. Death.
Our thorns look different, but we could all agree there is or has been something we begged God to take away. Have we, like Paul, reached the place in life where we loudly boast about our weaknesses? Do we trust Christ enough to admit those weaknesses, bring them to him, and ask for his all-sufficient strength?
This is a week for thankfulness. It’s easy to be thankful for the good things. But are you also able to say thank you for the thorns?
Dear Jesus, thank you for the thorns, the scars, and the hard things that draw me closer to you. When I am weak, you are strong. Please teach me to trust you to be strong. Amen.
For more on accepting your hardships: Accepting our Difficulties – Inspire A Fire
Copyright Christy Bass Adams, November 2025, all images from Canva
