A Theology of the Thorn - Praying for Health instead of Healing

Last month I was in a conversation with some older men who are mentoring me in prayer and one of them mentioned that there is a difference between praying for health and praying for healing.  That was quickly followed up with a reference to Paul's thorn in the flesh.  Let me quote the text from 2 Corinthians 12:7-10:

“To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (NIV).

There is no scholarly consensus on exactly what this "thorn" was, and the possibilities are almost as endless as the number of theologians.  Eye disease, epilepsy, poor speech, opposition and numerous other things have all been suggested.  I do not have any new contributions to make on this front.  What I would like to do is shift the focus from the problem, to the prayer Paul prayed and the answer he received.
Whatever it was, the simple choice of words Paul picked to describe the situation is telling.  For everyone knows that 'thorns in the flesh' are both extremely annoying and utterly painful.  I recall the last time I grabbed some Devil's Club while on a hike.  For days I was digging and trying to remove the thorns from my hands.  It wasn't a nice situation.  I was obsessed and nearly cut my hand open to get at the thorns and remove them.  I wanted healing, and by that I mean, I wanted the thorns removed so that my hand would be as it used to be.  I wanted a return to the circumstances of the past.

Such is Paul's prayer, three time he asks for healing.  The removal of the situation, whatever it may be so that he could return to his previous state.  But God refuses to answer this prayer, instead opting to bring health.  I will define health as a complete reliance upon God the Father and His strength.  The difference between health and healing is akin to the difference between north and south, positive and negative.  They are poles apart.  In health, one relies upon God, in healing, one relies upon themselves.  In health, a new kind of life is found, in healing, one returns to the old life prior to illness.

Paul found health, even though he was praying for healing.  Paul found the grace of God, which is sufficient, the strength of God which sustains and the power of God which is made perfect in weakness. Paul's life was never the same, he could continue on, stronger and more reliant upon God than if he had been healed.  Unequivocally, Paul was healthier for having a thorn, even though he desired healing.  Such a statement demands a shift in our thinking and our prayer life.

This brings up two questions for my life:
1. How many of my prayers are for healing versus health?
2. How would my prayers be different if I was devoted to praying for health in myself and others than if I simply prayed for their healing?

In answer to the first, I think most of my prayers are for healing. I am a pastor and when I visit the sick, they want to have their illness removed, and so do I.  No one wants to watch another person suffer.  When I hear of friends and their families under difficulty, I instinctively pray, like Paul, for the removal of the difficulty and for the return of normalcy.  But if I were indeed interested in their health and not their healing, the long horizon instead of the short, then I believe my prayers would change to something like what Paul experienced - "Make your power present in their weakness.  If this is what it takes to bring about their utter reliance upon you, then leave it as long as required for that lesson to be learned. Cause them to be wholly different on the other side of the experience and even in the midst of the experience than they have ever been before.  Be glorified in them, whatever it takes."

This is a scary prayer to think about praying for someone else, and it is even scarier to consider proactively praying it upon oneself.  "Lord, bring me whatever it takes to make me reliant upon you and you alone."  I am still pondering whether I really want to prayer that prayer first, and if I desire God to answer it, and yet I know it would be for my health, but not for my immediate healing.   Consider with me, how a Theology of the Thorn would alter the way you engage with the difficulties of the world.

NOTE:  The image is taken from http://www.sxc.hu/profile/kliverap with their permission.