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2 Corinthians 1:8, 9 - This Happened That We Might Not Rely On Ourselves But On God!!!

2 Corinthians 1:8-9 (NIV) We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.

2 Corinthians 1:8-9 (CWR) My brothers, I want to let you know about some of the problems we've had in Asia Minor.  We've had to face such hardships that our strength gave way and we wondered whether we'd make it through alive. 9 We were so far gone, we felt certain we would die, but this only made us lean more on God who can raise the dead if he decides to.

INTRODUCTION

   Paul does not give details about their trouble (hardship) in Asia, although his accounts of all three missionary journeys record many difficult trials he faced (Acts 13:2-14: 28; 15:40-21:17). He does write that they felt that they were going to die and realized that they could do nothing to help themselves - they simply had to rely on God.
   Being a follower of Christ doesn't exempt a person from crushing pressure, stress, or depression. Many Christians believe that followers of Christ should never be depressed. But here Paul, a champion of the early church, was dealing with that very problem. For him, pressure was part of his sanctification, helping him to become more and more like Christ. Evidently, he wondered if he would ever escape his tough circumstances. No doubt you have felt this way about your situation too. When you pray, honestly tell the Lord about the pressure and anxiety currently consuming you. Ask him to undergird you as you chip away at situations you feel are beyond what you can handle. (Life Application Commentary 2019)

COMMENTARY PEARL

   Recounting her latest adventures in farm life, my daughter described how her shovel hit a rock when digging a hole for a tree she was planting. Certain she could just dig out the rock, she shoveled away. But the bigger she dug the hole, the bigger the rock became. Finally, she called in reinforcements to help excavate what was an enormous boulder. The task required a backhoe along with a massive steel pry bar and heavy chains to wrench the behemoth boulder free.
   Visualizing the intense excavation process reminds me of the equally hard yet rewarding work of healing and recovery. Years of personal and ministerial experience in Celebrate Recovery, a Christian twelve-step program, taught me that digging deep to remove heavy, buried obstacles is not a solo job. It calls for reinforcements.
   Whenever I'm in a hard place in life and bump into a deeply buried issue that I need help with, I call on Jesus for spiritual strength. He is the One who came to set me free. He's the only One who can help me pry out those heavy "boulders" - those buried issues - that would otherwise impede my growth. Jesus, the Son of the God who can raise the dead to life, can certainly raise and remove any obstruction from the soil of my life. I thank Jesus that He frees up space in me so my faith and hope in Him can grow. Cassandra Tjersma
   Faith Step: What issue in your heart needs to be healed? Ask Jesus to free you from the weight of it. Trust Him to do the heavy lifting. [Mornings With Jesus 2024 Devotional by Guideposts and Zondervan]

CLOSING THOUGHT

God's Strength Saves Us
   God once told Gideon, an Israelite war leader, "You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, 'My own strength has saved me' "(Judges 7:2). So God whittled Israel's army down from 32,000 to 300 men, so that the odds would be impossible without God's power. God sometimes does a similar thing in our lives to keep us from being able to say, "My own strength has saved me."
   God doesn't expect us to be perfect. In fact, he uses our failures to show us that we need him and to drive us into his arms of grace. God sees weakness as a normal part of life. He is not surprised when we stumble on our own. When we fail on our own and succeed only when we utterly depend on him, then he gets the glory. Thus, failure isn't a surprise or a misfortune. It's an opportunity.
   Failure is a great opportunity to learn to rely more deeply on God, who can turn challenges and obstacles into new life. [The Daniel Plan 365-Day Devotional]

LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY

2 Corinthians 1:8, 9 - This Happened That We Might Not Rely On Ourselves But On God!!!
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2007/20071022-2155.html

2 Corinthians 1:4 (NLT) He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. [Devotional pending]

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

https://abible.com/links/