We Stopped Relying On Ourselves

Have you ever been so frustrated with a situation that you threw up your hands in defeat and cried out, "I am SO over this!"? If you're like me, you've probably actually been there many times. In 1 Corinthians 1 Paul writes about a time when he found himself at a very low point - a point of despair.

Verses 8-9a say this. "We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die." Now, that is a pretty low point. I mean, circumstances had become so bad for Paul that death seemed like the only way out. But look at the rest of this passage. "But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead." Wow! If Paul had not gone through those near death experiences, he would  have never learned to trust God and turn to Him for every situation. Because of overwhelming circumstances, Paul learned to trust the power of God. In fact, Paul goes on to say that because of the lessons he learned in the hard times, he now has hope for the future. (vs. 10 "And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us.)

I pray that when life gets unbearable, when there is no answer in sight, when my health fails we will look back on the times that God has brought us through and that we will hope in the One who has the power to raise the dead. My friend, don't be discouraged.

Trust in the Lord! 

He will continue to rescue! 

He will save!

~ All Scriptures from NLT.