In
these verses Paul spoke about an affliction that he and his companions were undergoing.
The difficulty was something way beyond their ability to endure. It was of such an intensity that they even despaired
of life. Paul didn’t reveal what difficulty that was but apparently the
Corinthians knew what it was. However, they didn’t know the intensity of the affliction.
At the beginning Paul apparently doubted that he would get out of it alive.
The
word Paul used to describe this experience is affliction. It’s a word used to
describe an animal that is made to carry a load so heavy that it is breaking
that animal down. In verse 9 he said it was like a death sentence. Paul probably
was not saying that he had a literal death sentence. He was describing the
state he was in at that moment. He was probably going through a very low point
of his life. When a person is at that low point of his life, it’s like a death
sentence. We have all been there before and we know how it feels like.
The word affliction was also Paul’s graphic way of describing how burdened
he was for the believers in Corinth and also the conditions of the other
churches in Asia. We have a glimpse of what Paul went through in 2 Corinthians
2:4, where he described his experience of sorrow, distress, anguish of heart,
and tears. And then in 2 Corinthians 11:28, he revealed that daily he faced the
pressure of his concern for all the churches. The apostle had been trying hard
to minister to the Corinthians and his effort didn’t seem to work with them and
he must have felt crushed. In those moments he could have wished for the Lord’s
return immediately. Or he could also be saying “Lord if you’re not coming now
what about taking me home?” In saying he bore the sentence of death could be his
way of describing those moments of pressure that led to the musing of death. He was discouraged, disappointed, and had
reached a point where he felt he just couldn’t go on anymore. Paul could have been on the brink of a
burnt-out.
Then he suddenly realized that he was doing
it all by his own strength and effort. He realized that he had relied too much
on himself and not God, who specializes in delivering us from our own “death
sentence.” He immediately switched his focus and turned to trust the Lord.
Instead on looking inward or outward, he looked upward to God who alone could deliver
from death. It’s implied here that Paul realized that no matter how capable he
was, when death comes knocking on one’s door, everything would be done for.
Hence it would be wiser to rely on the Lord.
In verse 10, it also dawned on Paul that the
Lord, whom he and his fellow workers set their focus on, not only could but
also would deliver them from their present and all their future problems. And in
verse 11, Paul expressed a spirit of interdependence. Not only must he turn to
God but he must also solicit the prayers of his brethren in the community. Paul
knew and believed in the power of the intercession of fellow believers. We see
here that the marvel of the collaborated effort of the tri-ology - God, Paul and
fellow believers. The combination of the three would bring a resounding victory
in his trying time. God would deliver, Paul must trust Him, and believers must
support in prayers. As a result many people would be offering their thanks to God
for the favor He had bestowed on Paul and his fellow workers, in answer to
their prayers. This is worth our
emulation. Leaders must trust the Lord, members must pray for the leaders and
we shall see God’s deliverance.
Be reminded that troubles in life need not crush
us. We can leverage it by relying more on God. We must trust God and don’t rely
on our feeling. Let’s recall past victories and let them be an assurance of
future ones. Let’s stay open to God’s leading and dealing. Let’s allow tough
circumstances of life to develop our reliance on God. And let’s cultivate a
life of interdependent prayers because of the great potential it has for the community
of faith.
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