II Corinthians 1:1 – 2:4

April 03, 2013

God has a purpose for everything that happens in our lives and it is always twofold: 1) for us; and 2) for others.

Paul tells the people in Corinth, "God is the Father who is full of mercy and all comfort. He comforts us every time we have trouble, so when others have trouble, we can comfort them with the same comfort God gives us." Paul goes on, "We had great burdens there that were beyond our own strength. We even gave up hope of living. Truly, in our own hearts we believed we would die. But this happened so we would not trust in ourselves but in God, who raises people from the dead. God saved us from these great dangers of death, and he will continue to save us. We have put our hope in him, and he will save us again. And you can help us with your prayers. Then many people will give thanks for us—that God blessed us because of their many prayers." (II Corinthians 1:8–11)

When "the storm" first started, it felt very overwhelming in many ways. How could a sister and brother-in-law do this? There were physical, financial, emotional, and time requirements. We can now look back at all that was involved with the lawsuit and say "thank goodness for the lawsuit" because while we believe the Lord has promised us His protection from it, the single most important thing He saved us from was self-sufficiency. And that is what Paul is saying, "This happened so we would not trust in ourselves but in God." In our culture we are taught it is a good thing to be self-sufficient, but there is nothing more dangerous or contrary to Scripture than "self" being in charge. We are to be God-reliant NOT self-sufficient. In ALL things—dependence on God.

The greatest danger we faced was ourselves, and God saved us (and continues to save us) from that trap. Our hope is in HIM. He will save us from the trap set by others. I have written, "Tell the story!" by this section. We must tell the entirety of His story throughout this process. I'm pretty sure I have shared this part before, but clear back when we first realized we were supposed to tell God's story, I wondered how in the world it could be done without telling the messy and petty details of the lawsuit. Then a year or so ago, as I was in the shower and thinking about God's story, I literally laughed out loud when I realized HIS story has nothing to do with the details of the lawsuit!!

What an amazing journey this has been!! Our hearts are honest and sincere. (I Corinthians 1:12) We have no ulterior motives. Our consciences are clear. Everything we are and have accomplished is because of God's grace and not earthly wisdom. II Corinthians 1:22 - "He put his mark on us to show that we are His, and he put his Spirit in our hearts to be a guarantee for all he has promised." Amen. Thank you, Jesus.

From Life Lesson: God's comfort and deliverance are certainties, even in the middle of difficult trials. We can confidently rely upon him as we make our plans.

"God is good and all-knowing... nothing catches him by surprise. God knows... he is working." ~ From On Eagle's Wings by Dave Veerman

Next Entry: II Corinthians 2:5–17