Paul's Thorn in the Flesh

Paul's thorn in the flesh always held me back from believing divine healing was for everyone.  I figured if God allowed Paul to be sick, then he would let others be sick as well.

However, I've recently learned a lot about the little phrase, "thorn in the flesh".  Whenever the word "thorn" or the phrase "thorn in their side" appears in the Bible, it is in reference to people.  God told  the Israelites many times that certain heathen peoples would be a thorn in their side.

Further, the word used for flesh is the same word used to describe our human body, but is also used to describe our fleshly/carnal nature and the body of sin.

We know Paul was greatly troubled by false apostles, and had anxiety over the churches, fearing that they would be led astray by false teachings.  It seems his thorn in the flesh was in fact the false apostles.

Another writer pointed out that if his thorn in the flesh was indeed a physical ailment--a disease or sickness of some sort--wouldn't he have included that in his long list of sufferings?  In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul lists the many things he has suffered for Christ's sake.  Nowhere does there appear an illness listed.

Finally, in Galatians 4, Paul told the church that when he first arrived, it was because of a bodily ailment, but though his condition was a trial for them, they accepted him as though he were an angel of God.  Todd White points out that Paul arrived in Galatia the day after he was stoned and left for dead.  Being stoned and left for dead, he probably had quite a few bodily "ailments", but not a disease or sickness.  Persecution is of course different than illness and disease.