Wednesday, November 5, 2025
“You know for
yourselves that we’re not much to look at. We’ve been surrounded and battered
by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know
that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t
left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken.” (2 Corinthians 4: 8 -10, The Message Bible)
No, these words better resonate with
those people who are enduring terrible, exhausting, life-threatening circumstances.
Maybe it’s the wars in Ukraine, Sudan or Palestine. Maybe it’s in the
palliative care wards of hospitals. Perhaps, it’s the endless addictions of
drugs and alcohol that some face. Or it could be the daily confrontations of abusive
spouses, parents or bosses. It might be the interminable state of depression,
fear, anxiety or worry. Need I go on?
You get the picture. These words reach out to those who constantly experience
troubles, feel demoralized, seem to be at a loss and spiritually terrorized. Or in the more familiar translations: “We
are afflicted in every way but not crushed, perplexed but not driven to
despair, persecuted but not forsaken, struck down but not destroyed… (New Revised
Standard Version)
Paul is not being some
Pollyannish, stoic martyr here, trying to put on a Christian, happy face. Earlier,
in this same letter, he wrote, “We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our
ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it.” (2 Corinthians
1: 8) Paul, too, experienced the deep waters of troubled times. Listen to him
describe some of the details of what it was like for him. “Even now we go
hungry and thirsty, and we don’t have enough clothes to keep warm. We are often
beaten and have no home.” (1 Corinthians 4:11) There is more but you get
the idea. Paul was challenged by some very harsh, life circumstances and yet as
our text states, he worked his way through it all; he comes close, perhaps, to despair but he is not defeated. His faith and
trust in Jesus Christ sustain him in the most challenging of circumstances. “My
grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to
boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s
why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships,
persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I
am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12: 9 -10)
Some may see Paul as
larger-than-life, a Christian superhero. But I think that we need to appreciate
his very normal, human qualities. It is indeed remarkable how he can endure so much,
and yet remain so hopeful, remain resolute, remain confident, remain assured about
Jesus and God’s Love through Jesus Christ. Some might think it took herculean effort but more
likely, it is the solid, human connection he had with Jesus Christ that made
the difference for him. He gave us some insight and inspiration when he wrote to
the Roman church: “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and
trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops
strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of
salvation. And this hope will not lead
to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us
the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” (Romans 5: 3-5)
Everyone is different and unique
as to how they handle their troubled times. The last thing that I would ever
say is that we should put on a phoney, happy face because of some ideology that
preaches that Christians should always be happy and never be sad or depressed. Life can be nasty sometimes. What we need,
though, is a working faith which gives us something to hold onto when the
storms come. We do not know what the future holds for us but we can deepen our trust
that Jesus walks with us in the presence of the Holy Spirit. We are not abandoned.
“Can anything ever separate
us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or
calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or
threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed
every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things,
overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced
that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life,
neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about
tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power
in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will
ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ
Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8: 35 – 39)
To that, I say, Alleluia!
Dale
