When God Says No
SCRIPTURE: 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 
Read the passage
BIO: My name is Brad Staton. I am a member of FPCO and am honored to serve among you on the church staff. My main areas of focus are Pastoral Care, Heart of the City Foundation, and 20’s & 30’s Ministry. I am so thankful for my two children: Beau (9) and Sydney (7). I stay pretty busy, so there isn’t much time for hobbies, but I have been known to follow my Georgia Bulldogs pretty closely 
. I also coach Beau and Sydney’s sports teams. I have been in pastoral ministry for a total of 11 years, serving churches in Savannah, Augusta and now here in Orlando. I love my calling!
KEY VERSE: 2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
CENTRAL TRUTH: Sometimes God says "no" when we really want (need) Him to say "yes." He is so good He gives us what we need even when we don’t have the eyes to see we need it.
DEVOTIONAL: When God Says No
I don’t like pain. I don’t like struggling with the same sins over and over and over again. I don’t like getting old and having a bad back and bad knees and ankles. As a matter of fact, I avoid pain at all costs. I’ll do next to anything to keep from hurting. Sometimes I ask God to take this stuff away—set me free from struggle so that I am free to serve Him without hindrance. Sometimes, He says, “Yes.” Rarely, actually. Usually, though, He says, “No.” Why?
In this passage Paul gives us a unique insight into why the Lord denied his request to have his thorn removed. (I, like you, have no idea what Paul’s thorn was—some scholars think it was a physical problem with his eyes, others think it was a recurring and debilitating sin—both are applicable.) Paul had been chosen by God to receive visions of the “third heaven” (again, no idea…but it sounds really wonderful). He heard inexpressible things that he was ordered not to reveal to us. What he heard must have simply been too full of glory and wonder for our fallen ears to even take in. And right there, in that moment, Paul is in danger. The enemy would whisper in his ear, “Paul, YOU must really be important. The most important person in the world right now, actually, because out of everyone, Jesus chose YOU to reveal these things to. He chose YOU because even He saw how important YOU are.” And in that moment, Paul was ripe for a massive fall. God’s antidote to Paul’s head swelling problem? Pain—again. Defeat—again. A reminder of Paul’s brokenness. A reminder of his need of a Redeemer to save him from his mess. Paul asked three times for God to change His mind. In His goodness, the Lord said, “No.” And in this, Paul was set free to preach the gospel as one who needed it as much as the people to whom he was preaching. And, armed with a deep sense of his own brokenness he set the world on fire.
QUESTION 1: Think through your own "thorns." What are they? Try and come up with three you have wanted to be done with for a while.
QUESTION 2: What would it look like to continue to ask God to take them away, but surrender the demand that He do so? To trust His goodness to you and provision for you?
QUESTION 3: Take a moment and thank God for your "thorn." This is going to be hard to do, but thankfulness is one of the keys here…thank Him and tell Him you trust him. And worship.
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