by Ronnie Hewitt
2 Corinthians 1:8-10 “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.”
A faithful believer, living in obedient fellowship with Christ and loved by Him, may undergo experiences that involve danger, fear and despair, and may encounter circumstances that weigh one down beyond his/her power to endure. And yet, as a child of God, we are never left alone. We have a deliverer.
Paul made it very clear to his readers that he and Timothy had been comforted in all their afflictions in 2Corinthians 1:4. This was a very important statement, but it was broad and not very specific. But now, in vv. 8-11, Paul is being much more specific and is now sharing with the Corinthians how God had recently comforted them during a very grievous affliction, not only through His promises, but most importantly through His deliverance of them from that very grievous affliction. According to vs. 9, they felt in their hearts the sentence of death, but as they trusted in and relied on God, they found deliverance.
The question is: Can we, if we trust in God and His promises, see this same hand of deliverance? Absolutely! God’s grace is sufficient to meet our every need. So, when we find ourselves going through the “Ringer,” through something that has got us down and out, or that somehow, we just can’t fix, let’s not give up; rather let’s look up, for God’s grace is waiting.