Fin Sheridan

“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. 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. 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, 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. Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, with integrity and godly sincerity. We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom but on God’s grace.” 2 Corinthians 1:8-12

I remember when God spoke to me for the first time about these verses. It was one of the hardest seasons of my life. I couldn’t understand why God was letting me go through what I was going through. It seemed so far removed from what I was expecting.

But then I read those verses and realised something. These verses were my reality. I was in Asia. Just like Paul, in a circumstance that left me feeling so utterly overwhelmed, so burdened, God wanted to do something in me. He wanted to teach me about who He was and what He was willing to do in order to have all my heart; that He would allow, and even orchestrate, circumstances that would leave me no other option but to trust Him.

In v9, Paul says about how it feels like we’ve received “the sentence of death” but that there is a point for that. There’s a reason behind the suffering; there’s a purpose to the pain. That purpose is to create reliance. It’s to help us re-train our hearts and our behaviour so that we don’t depend on ourselves but on God.

And why should we trust this God? Because He raises the dead. He does what it is totally impossible; bringing dead things back to life. If He can do that, then my “Asia”, my situation is not beyond His control or help. Today, you may be going through something pretty terrible. My prayer and encouragement for you today is this: our God raises dead things. He is in control. Your situation isn’t going to sink you. Your God is going to deliver you.

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