So, how do we handle it when it seems that God is saying no to one of our prayers? 

The apostle Paul told the story about that. He started by saying that he was taken to heaven itself. Talk about a high point. But then he just very matter-of-factly goes on and says, "To keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me" Conceited? Why would Paul have been conceded? I suppose he did go to heaven. And if you went to heaven, what would you be tempted to talk about? Probably yourself and, and your experience in heaven instead of focusing on Jesus. I mean, I can just picture Paul in the congregation, little mission church saying, talking about his experience in heaven and everything like that and just saying, "Oh, you've never been?" He would have, he could have been conceited. 

And so what does God do? He sends something to keep him close to Jesus. He sends him this thorn in the flesh. Now, we don't know exactly what it is. It, there are many people who think that they know. Some people think that it might have been like disfigurement from malaria from one of those missionary journeys. Some people think it was bad eyesight. Some people think that it was a speech impediment because Paul's enemy said that he was so bold in his letters, but he was so weak in person. You know what? It's almost better that we don't know what the thorn was because we can see ourselves in it. 

And so Paul prays, and he prays, and he prays. But God doesn't take the thorn away. At the same time, he doesn't really say no. Instead, God says something amazing. He says to Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness" My grace is sufficient for you. That was God's message to Paul. 

So I guess I'd ask you, "What thorn has God not taken out of your life yet?" Understand that with every thorn God sends, there's a message attached. One message is coming from Satan as he's whispering in your ear that God doesn't really love you. And the other message is coming from your loving God who says, "My child, my grace is sufficient for you. Please understand that my whole goal for your life is for you to be with me in heaven and this is the only way." 

And to assure you of that, he points to the fact that he sent his son. I mean, watch Jesus praying in the garden. He is praying so intensely that his sweat is like drops of blood. And he's crying out to the father saying, "Father, if there's another way, let this cup be taken away" You see what Jesus so desperately wants? He so desperately wants you to be saved. But he also wants there to be another way. And so, in a sense, since you can't have both he's saying to his father, "Which do you want more?" as he goes on to pray, "Not my will but your will be done" And the father picked . . . you. And because he picked you, it means that he is going to do whatever it takes to get you to heaven, even if that means thorns. Because when I'm weak, then I lean on God. 

As Paul concluded with, "When I'm weak then I'm strong" Let's pray. Father, your grace is sufficient for me for your power is made perfect in weakness. Remove our thorns. Not our will but yours be done. Amen.