God's will for His children to prosper in every area of life, in line with the prosperity of their soul as seen in 3 John 1:2. But then we are met with a passage which talks about Paul's thorn in the flesh, which seems to challenge that understanding: He says in that passage, 2 Corinthians 12:8-9;
"Three different times I begged God to make me well again. Each time He said, No."
Paul, the great apostle who healed others, cast out demons and raised the dead, could not heal himself! He prayed fervently, three times, yet God said, "No."
Some have argued that Paul's "thorn" was not physical but spiritual opposition. However, Galatians 4: 13 - 15 offers strong evidence that Paul indeed suffered from a physical ailment, likely affecting his eyesight:
"Even though my sickness was revolting to you, you didn't reject me... In those days l know you would gladly have taken out your own eyes and given them to replace mine if that would have helped me".
This passage suggests Paul's condition was visible and unpleasant, yet the church embraced him with great compassion. Let's go further. Elisha, the powerful prophet who performed more miracles than any other prophet in his day, died of an illness, as seen on 2 Kings 13:14- 21. Yet, even after his death, his bones raised a dead man to life! Why did Elisha, a man who healed others, die sick yet, his lifeless bones brought back to life?
The only reasonable conclusion is this: God is sovereign. He does not owe us explanations for how He chooses to act. He can heal through a word, through medicine, or not at all and He is still good!
As believers, we must never forget that, the ultimate goal of life is not avoiding death but fulfilling God's purpose. That's why Paul, even in his weakness, rejoiced that God's power was being perfected in him.
