A Prayer About A Thorn In The Flesh

When I need to be humbled

GRACIOUS GOD,

I found myself becoming quite full of myself today, and I’m ashamed. Basking in accomplishment and adulation, I puffed with pride. I think that in Jesus’ day I would have been a good candidate to be a Pharisee. I remember the apostle Paul, reflecting on an amazing spiritual experience, saying that you had given him a “thorn” to keep him from being proud of what he had seen and heard. Whether physical, emotional, or whatever, this struggle, the thorn, was a painful, daily reminder that he was nothing in himself and totally dependent on you. Paul wanted his attitude, values, lifestyle, and actions to point only to Christ and his work in him. I certainly do not wish or ask for a thorny problem, but what I desire more is to be your kind of person in this world, serving you with grace and humility. Please purge from me this tendency toward self-aggrandizement, always looking to promote my image and to get the credit. If that means giving me a “thorn in my flesh,” then so be it. I am your humble servant.

If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. 2 Corinthians 12:6-7