God's thorns for us
We get the term “thorn in the flesh” from the apostle Paul : To keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. ( 2 Corinthians 12:7 ) Paul’s thorn is among the most famous afflictions in history, and we don’t even know what it was. There’s been a lot of speculation over the years. Paul’s thorn could have been a physical affliction. This is plausible given all the physical violence and deprivation he endured ( 2 Corinthians 11:23–27 ), and some think he may have suffered from an eye disease ( Galatians 4:15 ). “The most redemptive gift of pain in history was given to us through the most evil means.” Or since he referred to his thorn as a harassing “messenger of Satan,” he could have been vulnerable to significant spiritual-psychological struggles. This is plausible given the cumulative trauma of violently persecuting Christians , then...