Fear of Failure
The Sentence of Death – Part 2
Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 1:8-13
Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 1:9
Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.
Reading this passage of scripture, hopefully, reminds us that even when it feels like we have failed, God is at work in us. Reading Paul’s words, it’s easy to feel his pain: “hardships we suffered;” “under great pressure;” “despaired of life;” “the sentence of death.” Are you going through anything that brings some of these feelings upon you?
The good news is found in 2 Corinthians 1:10: “He has delivered us from such deadly peril.” Paul is testifying to the Corinthians that God was faithful to bring him out of those days of pain. Paul learned the lesson of dependence, again! God longs for us to live trusting and depending on Him for all things! God knows we can’t get to that level of living by reading the Bible and talking about it. We all need experiences that will show us in everyday life what it means to come to the end of ourselves.
When the apostle finally got to the point where he felt he could no longer endure, God stepped in with His mighty hand of deliverance. Then Paul could truly say: “On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us” (2 Corinthians 1:10). God wants us to be thoroughly convinced that no matter what comes our way, He is our hope and our mighty deliverer!
Father, take me on the journey that leads to the end of myself—where I find my hope in you. In Jesus’s name, amen.