Saturday, April 26,
2014, 5:46 a.m. – the Lord Jesus put the song in mind, “Believe Him.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 (ESV).
Great Revelations
Paul described here (in vv. 1-6), in detail, a vision which he
had been given of the Lord fourteen years previously. He also spoke generally of
visions and revelations which he had been given by the Lord, evidently over a
period of time. A vision can be defined as: “something seen in a dream, trance,
or ecstasy; especially a supernatural appearance that conveys a revelation” (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vision).
A vision is a lot like a dream, only usually it takes place
while the person is still awake. The person is fully conscious of what he or
she is seeing, although he or she may not have immediate understanding of what
the vision means. God has used, and I believe he still uses the means of dreams
and visions as a way to bring revelation, i.e. to make something known to his
servants with regard to personal messages, which he wishes to impart to them,
or for the purpose of revealing some practical application of divine
revelation, etc.
An example of this is the vision the Lord gave to Peter of
something which looked like a sheet coming down from heaven filled with all
kinds of animals, reptiles and birds (See Ac. 10). The Lord instructed Peter to
kill and eat, but Peter refused on the grounds of his religious upbringing,
because some of these were considered unclean. Yet, the Lord Jesus had a lesson
for Peter through this vision, as well as he had a mission for him, too.
As well, the book of Acts recorded for us several of these
visions that Paul had been given of the Lord. Paul had a vision in which he saw
a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight (See
Ac. 9:12). He also had a vision of a man from Macedonia standing and begging
him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us” (See Ac. 16:9-10). In another vision
the Lord spoke to Paul telling him to not be afraid, to keep on speaking, and
to not be silent (See Ac. 18:9-10). In yet another vision Paul saw the Lord
speaking. “Quick,” he said, “Leave Jerusalem immediately, because they will not
accept your testimony about me” (See Ac. 22:17-21). And, one night the Lord
stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in
Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome” (See Ac. 23:11).
We may not identify with Paul in this, but we may. Yet, all
of us have been given natural abilities and talents, and all of us who are in
Christ Jesus have been given spiritual gifts (See Ro. 12; 1 Co. 12 & Eph.
4). And, there is always a danger of becoming puffed up or conceited or perhaps
to even take credit ourselves for what we have received from God.
A Messenger of Satan
So
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. Three times I pleaded with the Lord
about this, that it should leave me. 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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships,
persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. ~ Vv. 7-10
Because of all these great revelations and visions given to
Paul, from the Lord, the Lord also gave him a “thorn” in his flesh, a messenger
of Satan to harass (or torment) him. There has been much dispute among
theologians concerning the source of this thorn as well as the nature of the
thorn. We can speculate on the nature of the thorn, but I believe the source is
quite evident. Only God had the power to give Paul such a thorn, and only God
would have the purpose in mind of giving Paul the thorn in order to keep him
from becoming conceited.
Whatever your beliefs on this may be, what is clear is that
God not only allowed Paul to suffer in this way, but when Paul prayed for
relief of his suffering, the Lord Jesus did not chose to heal or to deliver
Paul out of his suffering, but rather he told him that HIS grace was sufficient
(enough) to help him in his time of need and to see him through this
difficulty. Although God chose not to deliver Paul from the thorn, he would
deliver him through the trouble, as Paul learned to put his trust and his
dependency in the Lord for all his needs.
Our Suffering
The scriptures have much to say to us on this subject of
suffering. For one, as servants of the Lord, we are to share in the fellowship
of his sufferings, becoming like him in his death (See Phil. 3:10). We are to
rejoice in our sufferings with the knowledge that suffering produces endurance
(or perseverance), and endurance produces character, and character produces
hope (See Ro. 5:3-4). We share in Christ’s sufferings, too, so through Christ
we share in his comfort, so that we can comfort others with the comfort we
received from him (See 2 Co. 1:1-11).
As well, our suffering has a purpose in that it teaches us
to not rely upon ourselves (our flesh), but on God (See 2 Co. 1:9). It has also
been granted to us by God that we should suffer for the sake of Christ (See
Phil. 1:28-30). We suffer the loss of all things and count them as rubbish in
order that we may gain Christ and be found in him (See Phil. 3:7-9). Jesus learned
obedience through the things which he suffered (See Heb. 5:8). And, we have
been called to suffer for doing good and to endure it, such as Christ did. Thus
he set the example for us so that we might follow in his steps (See 1 Pet.
2:20-22).
God shows his grace to us in many forms when we call upon
him in our suffering. For one, he comforts us with his love. He does humble us
so that we do not get puffed up and conceited, and so we grow in our compassion
for others who are also going through difficult times. He teaches us things he
wants us to learn, and he helps us to grow to maturity in him through the
things that we suffer. He gives us his peace. He teaches us to trust in him, to
believe in his promises, and to rest in his love. We learn to rely upon him and
not on our own resources so that our dependency rests in him and not in our own
strength, and so we operate in the power and strength of God in our service to
him and not in our own flesh. For, only his divine power has the ability to
effect real heart transformation in people’s lives.
Unanswered Questions
Sometimes in life we have questions for which we don’t have
answers. Sometimes we pray and we can’t hear God speaking, i.e. he seems silent
concerning our requests. And, so we cry out for him to hear us, even though we
know he does, and for him to answer. Yet, he doesn’t always give us the answers
we desire, nor does he explain all of his ways to us. He just says “Trust me.”
“Believe me.” “Rest in me.” And, he reminds us that his ways are greater than
our ways and his thoughts greater than our thoughts, i.e. he doesn’t think and
work like we do. He has purposes for what we go through in this life beyond our
human comprehension. We may even desire the right things, but he may have
planned for us to go through injustice or heartache, and so he asks us to just trust
him that he knows best.
Trust
in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in
all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight. – Pr.
3:5-6 (NIV)
Believe Him / An
Original Work / July 15, 2013
My heart cries: Lord,
won’t You hear me
Seeking You for the
answers
To my heartache and
questions
I have concerning my
life?
Speak, Lord, to me
right now.
“Oh, dear one, why
don’t you trust Me
With your life’s
circumstances?
Give your all on the
altar
In submission of your
will
To My purpose for you.
“Surrender your life
completely
To your Lord and your
Savior.
He has all things
planned for you
For His glory and
honor.
He’ll work all things
for good.
“Believe Him. He will
fulfill all
Of His promises to you
For your life and your
future.
Trust Him. Rest in His
love.
He’ll give you peace
from above.”
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