Comfort in Trouble
“And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)
Paul the apostle, through his travels, preaching, and writing (he wrote thirteen New Testament epistles), was arguably the greatest propagator of the Christian faith, besides Jesus Himself. Prior to this passage, Paul spoke of visions and revelations God had given him. He had been “…caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.” (2 Corinthians 12:4)
Yet Paul had a thorn in the flesh, a physical infirmity. He saw it as a messenger of Satan to buffet him. To “buffet” means “to beat.” The word is pronounced the same way it is spelled. The infirmity may have been poor eyesight. Paul told the Christians at Galatia, “…for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.” (Galatians 4:15) Paul prayed three times for the Lord to remove the infirmity, whatever it was, but the Lord did not.
Instead, God gave Paul understanding as to why He was letting this happen: “…lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations,” Paul had the thorn in the flesh so others would not think too highly of him, or maybe he would not think too highly of himself. As our passage indicates, Paul was content. His thorn in the flesh was still there, but God helped him understand why it was there.
Satan can do nothing without God’s permission. God is sovereign. Satan is only an angel. Satan told God Job only served him because God blessed him so much. Satan said, “But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.” (Job 1:11) He later accused, “But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.” (Job 2:5) God let Satan ruin Job’s finances, kill seven of his children, and cover him with boils.
Yet for all the grief he endured, Job never cursed God. It was no secret that his trials were tough, but he knew God was still in charge: “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him:” (Job 13:13) “But he knoweth the way that I take: when he shall try me, I shall come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10) God may not take the grief away, but He will give us grace to deal with it. As Jesus told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for thee:”
2 Corinthians 3:4 also says, “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”
Trouble comes in many forms. Christians are not immune from it. Jesus said in Matthew 5:45, “…he (God) maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” Yet if you have gone through some grievous time but God has been giving you grace to trust in Him and endure it, you can be an encouraging testimony of His grace to someone else going through the same.
The best comfort for Christians have is the “…everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,” (2 Thessalonians 2:16) of a home in heaven. To see how to have your sins forgiven and a home in heaven, please go to www.clevelandbaptist.org, click “Helpful Links,” then “How Do I Go to Heaven?”
Brian Miller 10/1/2025
Cleveland Baptist Church 4431 Tiedeman Road, Brooklyn, Ohio 44144 216/671-2822