“We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:8-9, NLT).
Being a Christian doesn’t mean a free pass from the challenges and difficulties of this life. Remember that even Jesus suffered! This world has darkness all around, which is one reason we experience hurt and pain. Things are not the way God had originally created them to be. Considering that, hearts are broken every day.
But that’s precisely why we’ve been called to be the light of the world. As we live out our calling following Jesus, we illuminate the dark places in this world with God’s love. Together, through His grace and power, we can see hurt turn into hope!
In 2 Corinthians 1:8-9, the Apostle Paul speaks about the trouble he and his companions were facing. It sounds as if they were dealing with very intense trouble and persecution. Paul bluntly says, “We expected to die.” That’s not a very good prognosis! His words are distressing as you can just imagine the pain they were experiencing.
But then, Paul says something beautiful and useful: “As a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.” What an inspiring statement! Paul was able to turn his hurt into hope! How? By shifting his perspective from his own trouble to God!
When we are hurting, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and lost in our pain. When that happens, we can lose sight of our faith and begin to drift away from God. But those are the times when we must lean into God and His word even more. Only by His power can our hurt turn into hope.
No matter what you are going through, run to God! His loving arms will embrace you and He will fill you with hope and comfort like nothing or no one else can do.
You can write the Pastor at pastorbilly@findtruelife.com.