We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.
2 Corinthians 1:8-9 (NIV)
Father God, what a reminder for me regarding the hardships and difficulties that I am faced with! Yes, there may be other reasons why I am going through them, some even self-induced. But ultimately it is about me trusting You and not myself. You many times send challenges my way so that I can see and understand that I don’t have all the answers, I can’t deliver myself. I need You.
Help me, Father, to learn this very valuable lesson in my walk with Christ today and everyday. Help me to rely less on my and my “creature cunning” and more on You and Your sovereign control. Remind me that it is not me but You, that in the end You not only have the final say, You have the total say! Remind me that I need to stop trying to get it done by myself and depending upon myself. Instead my trust must be in You, my God Who supplies all my needs, Who is that glorious bridge over troubled waters!
Lord, when the pressures come – and they will – encourage me, remind me, compel me to go to the Rock of my salvation, Jesus. Grant me a discerning spirit that looks beyond the surface causes for my hardships and sees Your divine purposes in my life, how You are using this light and momentary affliction to create in me an everlasting glory that outweighs it all (2 Corinthians 4:17). I look to You today. Let me see Your fingerprints in all I go through to Your glory in Jesus’ Name. Amen.