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LEARN & GROW
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Week of May 31, 2009
KEY VERSE
For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. (2 Corinthians 1:8b-9)
CENTRAL TRUTH
Trials, affliction, or pain teach us to rely not on our own resources, but on the very One who raised Christ from the dead.
DEVOTION
Paul and Timothy are no strangers to suffering, but Paul reveals in this second letter to the Corinthian church a time when they nearly despaired of life itself. This same Paul sang hymns of praise while bound in chains in a Philippian jail, but now admits he was at the breaking point sometime in Asia.
The burdens Paul and Timothy faced were likely physical and life-threatening, but anyone who experiences excruciating bodily pain or even physical deprivation or exhaustion knows about breaking points. So do folks with overwhelming circumstances or heartbreaking relationships.
Many members of the Body of Christ here at Calvary have known the temptation to despair whether it comes as physical, emotional, or spiritual pain. Our particular version came through the shocking news of the break-up of our first-born son's marriage. The pain intensified as details from the present and patterns from the past came to light. Compounding the hardship was the fact that this young couple, seven years into their marriage, was not even within shouting distance. Just weeks before, they had moved half-way around the globe. We couldn't get to them cheaply or quickly, and could only talk to our son when he chose to answer the phone. We had no control; we didn't even have a say in what was going on. Our hearts were breaking for our daughter-in-law, for our grandchild, for our son, and for our family. Yet, even in our deepest anguish, by God's grace we saw that this affliction was to "...make us rely not on ourselves, but on God who raises the dead." He sustained us through tears, long nights, miles of separation, and months of waiting. He kept us on our knees and showed Himself strong to deliver us from our fears, our son from his sin, and the marriage from dissolution.
With Paul, we say, "On Him we have set our hope..." (2 Cor. 1: 10b)
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- What has caused you to despair? Is anything beyond God's reach or comfort?
- Do we have a choice about being comforted? What is the result of refusing God's comfort?
- How did Paul's belief about the resurrection affect his willingness to endure suffering?
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