Thriving Through Tough Times
2 Corinthians 4:7-15
Cast Down but Unconquered
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence
of the power may be of God and not of us.
8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are
perplexed, but not in despair;
9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not
destroyed—
10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus,
that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.
11 For we who live are always delivered to death
for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in
our mortal flesh.
12 So then death is working in us, but life in you.
13 And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is
written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe
and therefore speak,
14 knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us
up with Jesus, and will present us with you.
15 For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread
through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of
God.
We are living in very challenging and tough times. With many
troubles at hand, and many obstacles to face and overcome daily, we are
overwhelmingly being stretched in our spirit, soul and body.
The future may not look good and bright as optimism diminishes, and
hope becomes difficult to find. Sometimes our prayers seem to have no
wings, unable to soar and reach the shores of heaven, falling right
back at us. Sometimes a ray of hope appears but it also soon
disappears into thin air. Sometimes we wonder if God has heard our
cries for help. Sometimes we feel so helpless, not knowing what to
do next.
Many people around the world are trying to survive in the midst of
the hardships and problems caused by a global pandemic, and other
catastrophic and life-threatening events in various places such as
earthquakes, floods, fires, typhoons, hurricanes and wars. Many have
lost their homes and families. Many have
lost their jobs, finding hard to pay for their home mortgages or
rentals, electrical bills, school fees and also groceries,
essentials and other necessities. Others are fighting boredom and
burnout while working at home or living in the midst of some
precautionary restrictions and lockdowns. Many have turned to alcohol, drugs,
online gambling and other vices to drown their frustrations,
feelings and fears. Many are depressed, and some have suicidal
thoughts. Offences of family violence and domestic abuse are becoming
increasingly more each day.
As Christians, we must learn how to face the problems and troubles
of life head-on. We cannot sweep everything under the carpet,
pretending that all is well. We must confront them directly, and deal with
them one problem at a time. When we do so, we will gradually learn how to handle them
well, properly and safely. We will also learn how to move from
simply surviving to really thriving. Yes, we can be strong and do
exceedingly well even through this crisis! We can flourish,
increase, prosper and succeed with the strength of the Lord!
In the midst of gross darkness, there is a light shining inside our
hearts. Yes, though we are fragile like earthen jars of clay but we have
a great treasure inside us. The light of Christ is still shining
inside us! Sometimes this may be very dim and unnoticeable. But we must never
let the light go off. We must never let go of the living hope inside
us! This great and excellent power is from God, not from ourselves.
We are hard-pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We
are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are persecuted, but
never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not
destroyed.
Through the sufferings and problems, we will learn how to share in
the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be evidently
seen in us. Yes, we may live under the constant threats and dangers
of death but we are never in danger. Even when we walk through the
darkest and deadliest valleys, we will not be afraid, for our
Shepherd of love is with us. His presence and power will protect and
comfort us.
Our faith is now being tested. What is faith? It is the confidence
and assurance that something we believe is going to happen. It is
the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though
we cannot see it up ahead. Faithful men of God in days of old were
famous for their faith. We need to have the same kind of faith the
psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.”
Psalm 116:10
I believed, therefore I spoke,
“I am greatly afflicted.”
Psalm 116 is a wonderful testimony of praise and thanksgiving,
giving glory to God for all the things that He has done to deliver
His people from the dangers of death!
Psalm 116
Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Death
1 I love the LORD, because He has heard
My voice and my supplications.
2 Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.
3 The pains of death surrounded me,
And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me;
I found trouble and sorrow.
4 Then I called upon the name of the LORD:
“O LORD, I implore You, deliver my soul!”
5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;
Yes, our God is merciful.
6 The LORD preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.
7 Return to your rest, O my soul,
For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
8 For You have delivered my soul from death,
My eyes from tears,
And my feet from falling.
9 I will walk before the LORD
In the land of the living.
10 I believed, therefore I spoke,
“I am greatly afflicted.”
11 I said in my haste,
“All men are liars.”
12 What shall I render to the LORD
For all His benefits toward me?
13 I will take up the cup of salvation,
And call upon the name of the LORD.
14 I will pay my vows to the LORD
Now in the presence of all His people.
15 Precious in the sight of the LORD
Is the death of His saints.
16 O LORD, truly I am Your servant;
I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant;
You have loosed my bonds.
17 I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And will call upon the name of the LORD.
18 I will pay my vows to the LORD
Now in the presence of all His people,
19 In the courts of the LORD’s house,
In the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
Praise the LORD!
We will love the Lord because He hears our prayers and answers
them. Because He bends down and listens, we will pray to Him as long
as we live, move and have our being!
Death has stared at us in our faces. We were both fearful and
discouraged. Then we cried to the Lord, “Please save us!” How kind
He is! How good He is! How faithful He is! How merciful He is!
The Lord protects the simple, and those who put their hope and faith
in Him. We
were facing death but He saved us. Now we can lean on His
everlasting arms, trusting and believing in Him. For the Lord has
done wonderful miracles for us. He has heard our cries, and has seen
our tears! He has saved us from the pangs of death. He will keep our
feet from stumbling. We shall live! Yes, in His presence and
protection—here on earth! We will walk before the Lord in the land
of the living.
In our discouragements and depressions, we thought, “There are no
answers and solutions!" But now look at what the Lord has done for
us! We will bring Him an offering of thanksgiving, and praise His
name for saving us. We will bring Him the sacrifices of
praise and worship. His beloved ones are very precious to Him, and
He does not let them die without His knowledge. Precious in the
sight of God is the death of His saints.
The Lord has set us free from our fears and bondages, and we will
serve Him forever. We will worship Him, and offer Him a sacrifice of
thanksgiving. Here in His courts, we will lift our voices to praise
His name! Praise the Lord!
We can have our own psalm of gratitude and thanksgiving! We need to
give thanks to the Lord! We need to be grateful and
thankful! It is
a choice we must make as we persevere in any crisis,
becoming more aware of God and the power of His name!
The one distinguishing factor is this: Do we truly know God? To
thrive in any problematic situation, we must not long for the
absence of troubles, obstacles and challenges, instead we should seek for the
presence of the Lord as we persevere through tough times!
Perseverance is very lacking in many Christians today. Like muscles,
perseverance can be learned and cultivated as we go through life. Before we can
move any hill or mountain, we must learn how to move pebbles and stones! We can
only bear those weights and loads that our muscles are strong enough
to carry! Until we learn how to persevere, we will not be able to
bear the problems and carry on! But as we persevere more each day,
we will be able to persevere even more the next day! We will become
stronger in the Lord as we exercise our muscles of faith and trust
in Him! Tough times can make us to become better and stronger in Christ! The
choices we make daily will reflect our attitudes and actions in
life.
Romans 5:3-5
3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations,
knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;
4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been
poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Therefore we can rejoice when we encounter problems and trials,
for we know that they are good for us! They will help and teach us
how to persevere patiently in the Lord. And perseverance will
develop godly strength and character in us! It will help us to trust
God more each day as we exercise our faith until finally our hope
is strong and steady in Christ.
When that happens, we are able to hold our heads high no matter what
happens to us! We will know that all is well, for we know how dearly
God loves us! His love will warm our hearts no matter where we are
and what we are facing
because God has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His
love. And His love will carry us through all the problems in life!
Therefore, we need to keep our eyes firmly focused on Jesus at all
times.
We believe in God, and therefore we speak! Not presumptuously but
in faith and with hope!
Written on 25 October 2021