My dear friend and mentor, Randy Phillips wrote this song several years ago. Never has a song resonated with me (Robin) more than this. I have heard it sung over and over, however, to read the lyrics as a poem is even richer to me at this point.
Blessing in the Thorn
I read about a man of God
Who gloried in his weakness
And I wish that I could be
More like Him and less like me
Am I to blame for what I’m not
Or is pain the way God teaches me to grow
I need to know
When does the thorn become a blessing
When does the pain become a friend
When does the weakness make me stronger
When does my faith make me whole again
I want to feel His arms around me
In the middle of my raging storm
So that I can see the blessing in the thorn
I’ve heard it said the strength of Christ
Is perfect in my weakness
And the more that I go through
The more I prove the promise true
His love will go to any length
And reaches even now to where I am
But tell me once again
Lord, I have to ask You
On the cross You suffered through
Was there a time You ever doubted
What You already knew.
This is beautiful n for the right time n my life. Thanks for sharing..
The song “comforter” has been on my heart by Randy n Sis Wanda.
Great song also!
So true. Both this song by Randy, and Laura Story’s song “Blessings”, tell a truth that Americans do not want to contemplate. We ask God to bless us, and wonder why such seemingly bad things happen to us. But He always does what is good, what is right, and what is perfect. When we are His Children, we can trust Him that everything that happens to us is also good, right, and perfect.
When your son asks for bread, will you give him a stone, or for fish will you give him a snake? When we ask God to bless us, He does. It is only when we stop eating of the tree of Knowledge of good and evil – quit trying to determine what is good and bad, that we see just how twisted our perception has been and learn to trust our Father.
Hello my friends in the faith much love 2 u both I read this the other day hope it blesses u as it did me.When the winds of life are blowing your way remmber that God children bend rather than break. Joyce Kepney
So good to hear from Sis Kepney!
This is a very insightful song for me in this moment. Thank you pastor. Something I think about when I’m dealing with a thorn, is the refiners fire. The fire is HOT, scary and dangerous. It burns. Yet God will bring us out in purity, only to see His reflection in us. They also make me think about the fact that the pearl will be the fruit of it all. A pearl is created as a defense mechanism against threatening irritants. Parasites enter the shell as it opens (is vulnerable) to feed or eat. The parasite (or thorn) then becomes loged and dies. It may take many years for the pearl to be created or for our thorn to become that blessing. Though we know that pearls (much like our growth in the thorn) are rare, admirable, and valuable. …Hey, this might be my message for this season and I need to perfect it in scriptural outline. hmmm 🙂
Great words, Erica