2 Corinthians 1:8-11 (The God of All Comfort, Part 3 -- Final)

⁸ We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. ⁹ Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. ¹⁰ He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, ¹¹ as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

In verse 8, Paul doesn't go into any detail about what the problems were exactly that they encountered.  We only know from the following sentence that he felt under great pressure, far beyond his own ability to continue, and he wished he were dead.  Does that sound at all familiar to you?  Read that again.  If you are experiencing one or all three of those feelings right now, listen up.  The Bible has a power-packed sentence coming in just a moment for you.

In verse 9, he says "we felt we had received the sentence of death."  Perhaps you are either 1) experiencing a situation in work or at home where it feels like a death sentence; 2) someone close to you has actually been given a death sentence; or 3) you have been told that your days left are few on this earth.  Whatever your current scenario may be, here comes the "But."

"But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God..." 

The Lord wants us to trust Him no matter what, and He gives us opportunities to do this daily, but some of those 'opportunities' are definitely more difficult than others.

After the D&C, I felt so empty.  Up to that point, I still had a baby that I carried -- whether it was alive or dead.  But when I woke up from the procedure, I immediately sobbed.  Someone had died (a few days before), the body was not gone, and he or she took a little part of my heart with them.  The weight of death pressed heavily in those moments.

Now, as I see friends, co-workers, and strangers all around me with their healthy pregnancies and new born babies, it is so hard to not want to run away to a deserted beach somewhere for the next few seasons.  I find myself not even wanting to be around them at all because it is a painful reminder of my own loss.  I ask myself if it is some sort of sick joke that some dear friends of ours just let us know they are pregnant and are due one day after our due date would have been.  Really, Lord?  How am I supposed to go on?  And that's when I remember...

"But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God..." 

And let's not over look the four words that come right after that statement,  "But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead."  There are multiple places in Scripture where that four-word phrase is added.  And why?  It is a reminder of His POWER.  He is the only being who can restore cold, lifeless bodies to life again.  THAT is the kind of power my God has!  Surely, if He can do that, He can teach me what I need to learn from this incredibly sad experience, and He will.  He can do anything!

¹⁰ "He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us"  This is a great reminder to us -- we are not perfect.  When we sink back into our cycles of fear, sadness, and worry, He will come and deliver us.  Again and again.  He will always be continuing to deliver us (that's present tense).  So often as Christians, we think that because we have Christ and are full of joy, we should never be sad.  Not true.  Wait, you didn't catch that.  NOT TRUE!  Tears were created by God, and they have a purpose -- they cleanse.  So let them flow...or as Josh loves to quote, "It's just my awesomeness oozing out."  And some days, boy, I have an awful lot of awesomeness!  And even in those moments, when the tears have been steadily flowing again and again and again, God comes to us.  He comes, He comforts, He rescues, and He delivers us from the trappings of this world.  It is on Him and His plan for our eternity that we have set our hope.  

¹¹ as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.  So, what if you're not going through a down-season right now?  You have a job to do, too!  Prayer.  Praying and believing.  Just as people prayed for us and we FELT God's presence, peace, and comfort in the most difficult of moments, we all need to be praying for one another.  And when God answers those prayers, then we can be filled with gratitude for his gracious favor.  He does answer our prayers.

Please let me know how I may be praying for you, my friend.  If you are going through a difficult season, may I walk beside you?  And my prayer is that you will choose to take time to be still and silent with God, tears and all, and let Him give comfort to your heart.  He has so much for you in this season, and He is walking beside you, leading you through the darkness, in the midst of the pain.  Turn to Him.