“We are experiencing trouble on every side, but are not crushed; we are perplexed, but not driven to despair;
we are persecuted, but not abandoned; we are knocked down, but not destroyed,
always carrying around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our body.”
We’ve all been in seasons like this. Times when we’ve felt trouble coming from every direction. Seasons where we’re crushed by loss and heartbreak. Situations that leave us perplexed. Relationships where we feel abandoned. Circumstances that knock us down and threaten to destroy all we know and love.
So where do we turn when we face these things? While we may be able to convince everyone around us that we are okay, we can only convince ourselves of the same thing for so long. Where do we turn when we feel completely alone, without hope, and without anything to look forward to?
Living in hope is a fight that takes continual strength and perseverance. The devil, as well as our own doubts and fears, can influence us and tempt us to lose hope. We may experience trouble, but we can still live in hope when we face suffering. Paul reminded the church at Corinth of the hope they had by telling them what was true: they experienced trouble, but not enough to crush them; they were perplexed by their circumstances, but not driven to despair; they were persecuted by their enemies, but never abandoned by God; they were knocked down, but not destroyed.
The reason they were not crushed, despaired, abandoned, or destroyed was that they remembered their hope. By remembering and believing in the character of God and the promise of Christ, they carried His death with them each day. They never stopped living in light of the truth. This allowed them to be witnesses to those around them who did not know Christ.
Hope is the confidence to wait on God when we cannot see the future.
Endurance is continuing to place our hope in the goodness of God when our circumstances tell us to give up.
There are seasons and situations where having confidence to wait on God seems impossible. When we are hit with loss and disappointment and pain and suffering, the last thing we feel we can do is endure. But no matter what we feel, we can still cling to hope. Our feelings do not dictate the goodness of God. Our feelings do not stop God from working on our behalf and redeeming our situation. Our exhaustion or weariness does not keep God from providing what we need or giving us the desires of our hearts.
We are not crushed when our eyes are fixed on Jesus.
We will not be driven to despair when our eyes are fixed on Jesus.
We are never abandoned by Jesus.
And we will not be destroyed because Jesus has already won the victory.
Even in the midst of suffering, nothing can nullify God’s purposes. No amount of opposition, persecution, hardship, or suffering can alter God’s plan. While He is faithful to us, we can be faithful to Him as we endure suffering by enduring in hope. When we continue to place our faith in Christ, remembering His death and all He has done for us, we live in victory. The suffering we endure today is, in reality, only light and momentary compared to the surpassing greatness of being with Him.
The surpassing joy of knowing Christ will always be greater than our pain and suffering, greater than our struggles and heartache.
May we place our hope in Him once again, regardless of what we feel.
Let’s wait on Him when we cannot see the future; let’s put our hope in His goodness even when our circumstances tell us to give up.
