Postponed Desires For Our Benefit
7To 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. 8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. ~~ II Corinthians 12:7-10"Paul begged that the flesh's thorn be removed from him, but he was not heard by the Lord. The devil prayed that he might strike Job with the harshest of disasters, and we know that this was subsequently granted him. But Paul was denied the fulfillment of his prayer for his glory, whereas the devil was granted his for the devil's pain. Thus it is often an advantage not to be heard even though postponement of our desires depresses us." ~~ Cassiodorus. From the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture VII. Posted by jeremy stock at December 15, 2002 08:15 AM
I loved that Ancient Commentary Set! The editors should be given a medal. It saved me a bunch of time in research for my exegetical paper.
I would argue thought that Paul was indeed 'heard' for the Lord answered that His grace was sufficient. Paul was heard but not heeded.
That is the miracle of prayer. In our own doing we can bring harm to ourselves and others. I can drive my car off a bridge or into on-coming traffic. But our power is small compaired to God's and in prayer He tempers our use of it. We are invited to work with/through God in prayer, but since such power is more than we can handle, He tempers it. We may ask that our enemies be destroyed when we're angry and God may let them prosper. Prayer is an incredible thing, more than we know or believe otherwise we'd be in prayer more often.
Posted by: Tim at December 16, 2002 10:46 AMIndeed, prayer is a miracle and mystery. Well said.
Posted by: jeremy at December 16, 2002 02:55 PM