This is a difficult question and also a difficult passage (above) for a Christian to work through. On the one hand, we believe in faith that God will answer our prayers and that God desires us to be healthy and whole; prayers for healing would be in line with that idea. Yet, on the other hand, we see a passage like this where God refuses to heal Paul of what is referred to as a “thorn in the flesh”, and we have a tough time reconciling what seems like two opposing thoughts. There are many opinions about what this thorn in the flesh is exactly in scripture. Some have said that the thorn was Paul’s failing eyesight, which is why he needed assistance from Luke (a doctor) in traveling and writing his letters. Others have said it was another physical ailment like kidney stones or some chronic pain or illness, which would also explain Luke’s regular companionship. Others have said that the thorn was mental anguish, perhaps stemming from his guilt and shame of his past history of murdering Christians. Regardless of what the thorn might be, what we do know is that this thorn was a source of pain for Paul and that in his humanity, he prayed for the painful thorn to be removed from him and to be freed from its effects.

Three times Paul pleads prayerfully with God and three times God rejects Paul’s requests. The reasons why God rejects Paul’s prayers are not shrouded in some mystery we will never know. God gives three reasons and all three are found in this same passage. The first reason is to keep Paul from returning to a place of pride and conceit, something God knew Paul could be prone to given his education and status as a Roman citizen. The second reason is so that Paul would rely on the power of God (and other believers) instead of falling into self-reliance. It was the pain of his thorn, whatever that was, which kept him reliant on others. And the third is so that Paul would keep his mind on the Grace of God as a constant source of sufficiency. Without the thorn, Paul may have shifted to a mindset that was less focused on the grace of God and more focused on the legalistic aspects of his training as a Pharisee. The bottom line is this: God knew the bigger picture of which Paul only saw a small portion. God knew that Paul would be better able to spread the gospel and fulfill the purpose God had called him to if the thorn in his flesh remained and healing did not take place. The same may be true in our lives. God may not answer a single prayer because he knows that his plans are better fulfilled by not answering or by answering at a different time. Perhaps you prayed for the healing of a broken bone, but it didn’t happen. Then later, you have the opportunity to share the gospel with a patient at the hospital in the bed next to you. God’s will was accomplished more so by not answering your earlier prayer. You may have even been the answer to the prayer the person you met in the hospital was praying for.

God may not answer certain prayers, and that is completely up to him as a sovereign, all-knowing, and all-powerful God. The best thing we can do is to continue to trust that God sees the bigger picture and that he continues to work for the good of all those who love him.