I don’t think that it is a stretch to say, that as a people, we are still very much a rebellious house. We often do not follow the ways of the Lord’s teachings, we question whether He is even real, and we often seem to prefer our own ways to His. Is it any wonder that He finds us to be rebellious and in need of humility?
In Saint Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he speaks of a thorn that was placed in His side to keep him from becoming overly exultant. He recognized the danger that this posed as well, though the Lord knew of it first and took the step to address it. He of course, knows human nature all too well, and so knew what had to be done to help Saint Paul. When Saint Paul asked him to remove the pain of this thorn in his flesh, our Lord simply told him that His grace was sufficient for him. He did not remove the pain, but used it for the good of Saint Paul, this was done out of love because there was a greater issue at risk than just physical discomfort. I sometimes wonder about the thorns that we sometimes must bear, and how we will go to great lengths to try to remove them if possible, and whether this is wise. It is sometimes a better thing to be brought low and to be shown our true need to rely on the Lord, than to be allowed to continue to wallow in our arrogance.
I see our generation struggle with the sins of arrogance and rebelliousness greatly, and I ask myself, is it any wonder that we sometimes seem so disconnected from our Lord? Jesus himself when faced with his own relatives and those in his hometown could do little to help them because of their lack of faith and belief. How then can we ask at times of trouble, where is the Lord? Why is He not here to help us? We need only look at our own lack of faith and how we prefer our own ways to His to realize why this can sometimes seem like the case. Yet, even then, our Lord does not leave us completely, He still cares for us and guides us, even if we don’t always recognize it right away. He does this because He is a merciful Lord, and He knows our weaknesses, and His forgiveness is without limit. If He gives us a thorn, it is for our own benefit, even if it does not seem like it at the time. He knows what we need long before we do, and His plan for each of us is perfect, there is no need to fear or question. Instead of wasting our time on these foolish pursuits that we have no ability to control, wouldn’t it be wiser to instead focus on the one who does? Trust in our Lord is never outdated, and His lessons are as needed today as they have ever been, perhaps more so. Draw close to Him, and He will draw close to you, and you will know you are never alone.
Podcast Link
The Deacons Bench 