8 Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it would leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.” (1 Corinthians 12:8 CSB)
I have written many times about Paul’s thorn. One aspect of this is that he prayed over it three times and received God’s response. My sense is that, maybe, God’s response to Paul may have been less an audible response but more a simple acceptance by Paul of what he already knew. God’s grace was sufficient and perfected in his weakness.
It could be that Paul simply accepted his “thorn” after praying over it a number of times as something God allowed to keep him humble.
Yes, God seemed to speak directly more often back then or was it that men and women of faith simply got God’s silent messages more clearly than we do? Could it have been that they accepted more readily a silent “no” or “not now” message when God did not clearly answer in the affirmative by changes in circumstances?
Our world and our enemy has cluttered our minds with so much to worry over that it becomes hard to hear God’s still small voice. Furthermore, our society expects a yes answer to every prayer. We do not deal with the pressure of circumstance well. Consider back in Paul’s time the level of persecution they were under from every side. The disciples did not have easy lives of leisure. Their answer to pray must have seemed to be a “no” far more often than a yes. Yet, they did not waiver in their faith and they stayed close to God in prayer and scripture.
Maybe, acceptance is our answer.
