The Beautiful Burden: Sharing in the Father’s Will

by Dave Miller

2 Corinthians 12:1–10

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9, ESV)

The Paradox of Apostolic Weakness

Paul writes to a world that celebrates self-reliance, accomplishment, and outward power. Yet the apostolic calling to carry the Father’s will never depends on human strength. It flows from a deeper reality: grace that burns.

We call this burning grace because it comforts and consumes, consoles and confronts, gives life and burns away self-sufficiency. When God gives grace, He gives fire—the kind that warms the heart and refines the soul.

Paul refuses to resent the burden of apostleship. He sees weakness, strain, and pressure as invitations from the Father to experience grace in its most powerful form. What the world calls hindrance becomes transformation in the Kingdom.

The Thorn That Keeps Us Close

Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” never happens by accident. It comes as mercy. He calls it a messenger of Satan but recognizes that the Father allowed it “to keep me from becoming conceited.” This reveals the first mark of burning grace:God ordains what humbles us so He can entrust us with what exalts Christ.

Burning grace keeps us close to the Father’s heart.It burns away pride seeking its own glory.It burns away the illusion of control.It burns away the idea we can fulfill the apostolic calling without dependence on the Spirit.

The thorn does not punish; it prepares.

It prunes.

It heals through the fire.

Every apostolic leader learns this: the greater the calling, the sharper the thorn. God never acts cruelly. He acts carefully.

Burning Grace Turns Burden into Blessing

From the world’s point of view, weakness looks like failure. Anything that slows or limits feels like sabotage. But Paul discovers the place where grace burns brightest.

Burning grace turns the thorn into blessing.

The thorn weakens Paul, but grace strengthens him.The thorn limits him, but grace frees him.The thorn humbles him, but grace empowers him.

Here lies the paradox of apostolic responsibility:You carry more than you can handle so the world sees who carries you.

The apostolic burden feels heavy, but it remains beautiful because the weight reveals wonder. When grace burns through weakness, people experience Christ instead of human competence. They encounter the Father’s power, not human performance.

Paul boasts in weakness, not from despair but gratitude. He discovers what few ever realize: weakness opens the doorway where burning grace enters.

The Power of Contentment: Grace Resting and Grace Refining

In verse 9 Paul says, “that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

The word resting recalls the Old Testament image of God’s glory settling over His people—weighty, holy, transforming.

Burning grace rests on us.

Burning grace works in us.

Burning grace shines through us.

Paul learns to become content with hardship, persecution, and calamity. Not because he enjoys pain, but because he understands purpose. The Father uses these moments to burn away false strength so real strength can appear.

This contentment doesn’t accept defeat; it partners with purpose.Every insult and hardship becomes an opportunity to share in the same burning grace that shaped the apostles, the prophets, and Christ Himself. Through this process, we experience not only the Father’s power but also His pleasure as He shapes His children into the likeness of His Son.

Apostolic Responsibility as Shared Fire

Apostolic responsibility belongs not only to a few but to all who carry the gospel into their daily calling—at work, at home, or in community.Your calling breathes life.Your ministry moves with purpose.Your life advances the Father’s will.

You carry the flame of heaven.

And that flame always burns something.

It burns away fear.

It burns away self-reliance.

It burns away the craving for human approval.

It burns away anything too fragile to hold eternal weight.

It ignites what matters:

faith, obedience, humility, endurance, courage, and love.

Weakness no longer signals defeat. It becomes sacred space where the apostolic spirit grows.

The Grace That Holds the Burden and Lights the Path

Paul discovers the paradox every mature disciple must face:

Grace suffices not because it makes life easy, but because it makes you holy.

The grace that holds you also burns through you.The grace that comforts you also commissions you.The grace that sustains you also sends you.

God doesn’t remove the thorn because the thorn performs holy work.It shapes Paul into a vessel fit for the Father’s will.It forms a shepherd who refuses to steal glory.It births an apostle who knows his strength comes from the Spirit alone.

Paul closes with the anthem of every faithful servant:

“For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Not strong in the flesh.

Strong in burning grace.