Now, I want you to pay attention to 2 Corinthians chapter 12 real quickly.
What's this point?
I'm talking about having the silver lining in the midst of sorrow or distress or anguish
or depression.
And look at 2 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 7, and let's look at a silver lining here.
And again, bear with me with my voice.
2 Corinthians chapter 12, it says in verse 7, unless I should be exalted above measure
through the abundance of the revelations that were given to me, a thorn in the flesh,
the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
For this thing I besought the Lord thrice that it might depart from me.
Paul describes a thorn in the flesh.
I don't know what it is.
The Lord doesn't take it away, however.
Paul acknowledges, hey, it's to prevent him from perhaps getting too puffed up.
And sometimes we have a health ailment like this that we prayed for God to remove, and
he doesn't.
And that would be perhaps a similar thorn in the flesh that you're dealing with that
Paul might have been dealing with as well.
Look at verse 9, the Bible read, and he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee.
Now pay attention to these words, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ
may rest upon me.
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions,
in distresses for Christ's sake, for when I am weak, then am I strong.
Now look, whatever thorn that you might be dealing with in your flesh, if it's leading
you to have a sorrowful heart, please pay attention to these verses here.
Maybe write them down in your notes, whatever it is that you have to do.
But I want you to notice, what's the point I'm making here?
Point number 2, have a positive attitude.
Look for the silver lining.
The apostle Paul saw a silver lining here in 2 Corinthians chapter 12 specifically in
verse 10 when he says, for when I'm weak, then am I strong.
Make no mistake about it, the same applies to you.
Whether it's financial loss or family abandonment or being backstabbed or your health deteriorating,
if you're recovering from sorrow, if you're recovering from infirmity or you're recovering
from reproach, understand this, that when we're weak, when we feel like we're weak,
when we feel like we just can't make it through, then are you strong, according to 2 Corinthians
chapter 12.
Then are you strong.
See, here's the thing, our infirmities, the sorrows and the distresses that we go through
in this life, they offer a chance for God to glorify His name.
They offer a chance for God to glorify His name and make it obvious that the only way,
the only possible way that strength could ever be derived from weakness, like the apostle
Paul said, the only way in spite of a physical or a mental onslaught that strength could
be derived from weakness, the only way in spite of whatever it is that you might be
faced with in this life that someone can be used mightily by God to turn this world upside
down with the gospel is through the Lord Jesus Christ.
That's the only way.
And so when you feel weak because of a thorn in your flesh or you feel weak because of
some other ailment that's causing you to feel sorrow, understand this, that God might be
allowing you to endure whatever it is that you're enduring right now so that He can use
you to glorify His name and show, hey, even this person who has this issue, who has these
problems, who have all, who've had all these people turn on him can still be used mightily
for me, can still go out and get people saved, can still serve me just like anyone else.