Just a Thought: The Lord can even use what the devil means for evil for our good. The Apostle Paul was used in a mighty way by the Lord. From him we have two thirds of the New Testament. He was a missionary and a church planter. He was a pastor and a preacher. He could certainly testify about God’s deliverance from imprisonment, punishment and shipwrecks. And he could testify about how the Lord helped him deal with physical suffering. He could also tell us how the Lord could even use what the devil meant for evil for good. Here is his testimony about that. “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.” (2 Cor 12:7) Paul knew what and who was behind his affliction. Most of us (and I’m sure Paul too), saw this as a hindrance to his ministry. How much more could he do if the Lord took this away? But the Lord did not remove this affliction. We don’t know exactly what this was. It has been suggested that it was a problem with eyes sight, temptation, opponents to even chronic illness. We don’t know what the problem was, but we know how Paul felt about it. It was “a thorn in his side.” It was painful! It was troublesome! It was a serious and constant problem! What did Paul do about it? He repeatedly asked the Lord to remove it. And what did the Lord do about it? He used it in Paul’s life to do a number of things. First, Paul said the Lord used it to keep him humble and keep him from pride. Second, the Lord used it remind Paul of his weakness and God’s strength. Third, He used it as a constant reminder to Paul of his desperate need for the Lord on a daily basis. And finally, the Lord used it to remind Paul His grace was sufficient for all he faced. It is amazing to think that even though the devil sought to do something to Paul to hinder his ministry and effectiveness, God said, “I can use even that!” The same is true for you. Even if what you are facing today is there because the devil is attacking you physically, emotionally, mentally or spiritually, the Lord can use it! He will deliver you by His grace either to deal with it or to remove it. And He can and will use it to better you as you learn to deal with it by God’s grace and in His power. So, what do we do when we are faced with something like Paul was? We do what Paul did. We turn to the Lord. We turn it over to the Lord. And we trust in the Lord for his grace and power to deal with it or come through it. And, by doing this we too will find that the Lord can work in and through all things (even the stuff the devil does) for our ultimate good. Thank you Lord, there is nothing that can touch me or my life that You are not in control of, have power over and can use for my good and Your glory. And I thank You Lord for Your grace and strength to face and deal with it all. In Jesus name, amen.
