Thursday, November 10: 2Corinthians 1- Despair and grace

Can a Christian despair? Can a believer find him/herself wondering if they will make it? Can a Christ-follower feel crushed?

After this morning’s reading I say ‘yes’,or more precisely, Paul’s experience teaches ‘yes’. We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. (8-10).

Paul was overwhelmed, far beyond his ability to endure, but God saw him through. God ultimately delivered Paul and in so doing Paul knew his deliverance was not by personal determination but by God’s grace. This in turn gave Paul strength to continue believing that God could and would deliver him. So a moment of God’s grace became a teaching moment for life…

I began thinking about moments when God’s grace turned the tables in my life… this exercise encouraged my heart!

And, God, now I pray that the encouragement I now feel from remembering your deliverances and other wonders of Your grace in my life would also strengthen me to continue believing that you will deliver me in the future. I pray God that as I contemplate your deliverances and graces it will give me courage to act more boldly in my service and witness of You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

PS: Another factor in Paul’s deliverance was the prayers of the saints (10). Having experienced an African mission trip this summer, I resonate with Paul’s thankfulness for prayers prayed on his behalf. I know I was carried by the prayers of many who daily prayed for me and the others on our trip.

May this be an encouragement to you to keep on praying for those people on your prayer lists. Your prayers make a difference. They really do.