Paul and Our Wilderness of Thorns
Series: Clayton’s Wilderness Survival School
October 19, 2025
Dr. Clayton Chisum
2 Corinthians 12:7 (NLT)
1. Like it or not, God is a
2 Corinthians 12:8 (NLT)
God sometimes loves you too much to remove what keeps you close to Him.
2. The one He , He also
2 Corinthians 12:9 (NLT)
God’s greatest work often happens in our weakest moments.
3. If the thorn is from God, it must be
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NLT)
4. To deal with the , press into
God may not remove the thorn — but He will always provide grace to walk through it.
The thorn that hurts you most may be the tool that shapes you most.
Discussion Questions
- How can we know the difference between sin’s consequences and thorns that come from God?
- What’s a “thorn” you’ve been asking God to remove? How might He be using it to draw you closer?
- How can you begin to see God’s “no” as an act of grace rather than rejection?
- What does it mean for you personally that God’s power “rests” on you in weakness?
- How have you experienced grace that was “just enough” in a hard season?
- Why is Jesus’ “thorn”—the cross—the ultimate picture of strength through weakness?
- How can we use our “thorns’ to give God glory and point others to Jesus?