Verses 8 and 9 say, “Concerning this I entreated the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He has said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather boast in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ might tabernacle over me.” Sufferings and trials are often the Lord’s ordination for us, that we may experience Christ as grace and power. For this reason, the Lord would not remove the thorn from the apostle as he entreated.
Paul might have prayed like this: “O Lord, take away the thorn. Get rid of this messenger of Satan. I am suffering, and I cannot bear this thorn any longer.” The Lord answered Paul’s prayer, but not according to Paul’s way. Likewise, the Lord will answer our prayer, but He may not answer it according to our way. The Lord seemed to say to Paul, “No, I shall not remove the thorn. This thorn is being used by Me to keep you down. I realize that you are suffering, and I shall give you the grace you need. Paul, My grace is sufficient for you. Don’t ask Me to take away the thorn. If I were to take it away, I would have to take away the visions and the revelations, and I would have no way to do that except by taking you away. Paul, if you do not have this thorn, you may be too proud and lifted up too high. I cannot allow that to happen. The best way to keep you down is to leave this thorn with you. But I shall grace you and support you so that you may be able to bear this suffering. Also, in your experience, My grace will become power made perfect in weakness. The thorn exposes your weakness. Without it, you would not realize how weak you are. Now you need Me to be your grace. In your experience, your enjoyment, My grace will become power tabernacling over you.”
The grace experienced by Paul was actually the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. I believe that in his experience Paul realized that the Lord’s grace became power spread over him like a tent. Hence, this grace-power became a dwelling place for Paul in his sufferings. As he was suffering, Paul could dwell in the tabernacle spread over him. This tabernacle, this tent, sustained him, supported him, maintained him, and kept him.
To magnify the sufficiency of the Lord’s grace, our sufferings are required. To show forth the perfectness of the Lord’s power, our weakness is needed. Hence, the apostle would most gladly boast in his weaknesses, that the power of Christ might tabernacle over him. Grace is the supply, and the power is the strength, the ability, of grace. Both are the resurrected Christ, who is now the life-giving Spirit dwelling in us (1 Cor. 15:45; Gal. 2:20) for our enjoyment.
The Greek word translated “tabernacle” in verse 9 is episkenoo, a compound verb composed of epi and skenoo. Skenoo, meaning to dwell in a tent, is used in John 1:14 and Revelation 21:3. Episkenoo here means to fix a tent or a habitation upon. It portrays how the power of Christ, even Christ Himself, dwells upon us as a tent spread over us, overshadowing us in our weakness.
In verse 10 Paul concludes, “Wherefore I am well pleased in weaknesses, in insults, in necessities, in persecutions, and distresses, on behalf of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am powerful.” The Greek word rendered “well pleased” also means well content, as in Matthew 3:17. Insults are mistreatments, and necessities are constraints, urgent needs that press much. Literally, the Greek word for “distresses” means narrowness of room; hence straits, difficulties, distresses. At the end of this verse Paul speaks of being weak and also of being powerful. He was weak in his old being, but he was powerful in the overshadowing Christ.
What we have in these verses is the Lord’s “cooking” of Paul. The Lord “cooked” Paul and made him a delicious “dish” for us all to enjoy. For more than fifty years, I have been enjoying the Apostle Paul. But I must testify that I have never enjoyed Paul as much as I have recently. He certainly is a delicious feast cooked by the Lord Jesus.
Sometimes in preparing Chinese food, the food is first put into the fire and then in cold water. It seems that this process of cooking results in the best taste. This illustrates how the Lord dealt with Paul, how the Lord cooked him. First the Lord uplifted Paul to the third heaven, then He carried him away to Hades, and following that He allowed a thorn to come to him. If I had been Paul, I probably would have wondered what was happening to me. I surely would have told the Lord that I was not able to bear the thorn. But as we have pointed out, the Lord’s sufficient grace was supplied to Paul, and this grace became power tabernacling over him.
As Paul considered the high visions and marvelous revelations, the thorn worked on him to keep him from being proud and lifted up. But as the thorn worked to keep Paul low, grace supplied and sustained him, and power overshadowed him. This was the Lord’s wonderful way of cooking Paul to cause him to experience the all-extensive Christ. As a result, Paul was rich in the experience of Christ.
The Judaizers certainly could not compare with Paul. How foolish the Corinthians had been to be distracted by them! The Judaizers had no revelation or vision. Likewise, they did not have the thorn, the grace, or the power tabernacling over them. They were utterly devoid of the experience of Christ. Paul, on the contrary, had seen visions and received revelations. Furthermore, he had been dealt with by the Lord through the thorn in order to experience Him as grace and as power in a very practical way. Therefore, Paul was a man full of vision, suffering, experience, and enjoyment of the Lord. The Lord became grace to him and also the power spreading over him like a tent.
What the Apostle Paul experienced is very much lacking among today’s Christians. Many believers are natural and traditional. Like the Judaizers, they have an old, traditional religion, a Bible in dead letters, and many rituals and regulations. In principle, they are the same as the Judaizers, even in the matter of preaching a Jesus who is not altogether genuine. With them there is no vision, no revelation, no thorn, and no grace. They interpret the Bible in a natural way, and they follow traditions and regulations. With them there is no power tabernacling over them. What a contrast between the experience of Paul and today’s Judaizers!
Do not be disappointed if a thorn comes to you after you receive a revelation from the Lord. Visions and revelations are always followed by sufferings. It is not necessary for you to pray much concerning the thorn. The thorn will not be removed. Instead, the Lord will allow it to remain for the purpose of bringing in grace for your enjoyment. This grace will then become your daily strength and even your dwelling place, a tabernacle overshadowing you. This will enrich your spiritual experience. When we enjoy the Lord’s grace and dwell under the overshadowing of His power, we shall always have something to say regarding Christ and the church.