Beyond your strength

For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia.
For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.  
Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.  
He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.  
You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.
2 Corinthians 1:8-11, ESV


I was reading this recently and was struck by the straightforwardness and the hope expressed in this Scripture, for real life as we know it. Christians will experience 'affliction' and 'deadly peril' that has nothing to do with them doing the wrong thing, rather,  it comes looking for them because they are doing things God's way or in spite of it. And it can knock the wind out of you. It can crush you. Affliction can manifest in a variety of ways that, from the onset, is just too much for you to handle.

Have you ever been burdened beyond your strength? I have. On more than one occasion. Sometimes I was broken-hearted for my own sake after bitter betrayals. Sometimes I was burdened beyond my own strength for the souls of Christians I loved when I saw them making decisions that would destroy them, and they refused to turn back. Sometimes, the weight of intercession is just very, very heavy. I know what it's like to have NO PLAN B. God had to do something, or nothing could ever be done. God uses these things so that we learn to rely wholly and solely on Him. When we despair of life, we need to know He is the God Who raises the dead. So we must hold on. We just have to. It's going to involve days, weeks or months of pain sometimes. We won't be spared all negative emotion just because God is at work, upholding us. But I tell you this, He will spare you what He knows you cannot carry. And at some point, He will deliver you.

And you will be amazed at what He does. Your knowledge of His ways and His grace will grow and you will find renewed confidence, a stronger hope in His deliverance for the next hard thing. No, it's not nice to think about, but you are best off knowing that there will be a "next". And God wants us to know from those verses above that prayer helps. Your prayers and the prayers of other followers of Christ are effective at this time and will bring you as much as a blessing. Give thanks for that hope now and give thanks when it shows up.

First published: April 2010