The tone in 2 Corinthians is unlike the tone in any other of Paul’s letters with the possible exception of 2 Timothy. His vulnerability is on full display, and for those who think that Paul never felt weakness, we hear him say:
“We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we never thought we would live through it...” (1.8)
Have you ever felt that way? Ever been through something that you knew was bigger than you, and you didn’t think you would make it through it?
Sometimes when we are going through something like that, it is impossible to think of what you’re supposed to “learn” from it. It seems POINTLESS. You are just trying to make it through it.
But after the storm has passed, you can sometimes look back and see God’s hand. Paul does this. He writes:
“...but as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.” (1.10)
When you come to the end of yourself, the end of your capacity, you learn that there is still more of God. Pain can be PURIFYING. It humbles us, takes our gaze off ourselves and fixes our eyes on Jesus. That’s where we experience God’s comfort.
This is why Paul can write that “God offers us comfort in all our troubles so that we can comfort others.” (1.4)
This is amazing. God can use our pain, our hardship, not only to purify us, but also to PREPARE us for ministry to others.
When you don’t understand why something is happening, consider that it could be there is a person in your future who will need what God was giving to you in the moment when you didn’t think you could go any further.
Lord, sometimes my struggles see so pointless. Help me to see how you want to purify me and prepare me for the future. Amen.
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