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For we do not want you to be unaware, 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. – 2 Corinthians 1:8-10
Have you ever met someone who felt like every flat tire or stubbed toe was because they displeased God in some way? What an excruciating way to live. If you grew up in a culture of guilt and shame it is probably easy for you to feel this way. Some people in the church of Corinth were saying that Paul had displeased God because his life hit a rough patch. We don’t know exactly what happened to Paul in Asia, but it was bad. He was at the end of his rope and even began to have dark thoughts about life. But we live in a fallen world; bad things happen, sometimes for no reason. Sure, we suffer the consequences of our sin and the sin of those around us. But getting a speeding ticket is not a sign that God is mad at you because you didn’t pray enough the week before, that happened because you were speeding. Even in the year 2024 pagan ideas about “the gods” being mad at us and sending a thunderstorm can creep into our minds. The disciples even asked Jesus if a child was born blind because of his parent’s sin. Jesus told them that no one sinned… but he was going to use this to show off the mighty works of God. He healed the child.
One of the wonderful things about God is that He can take any situation and pull something good from it. That doesn’t always mean that you will look back and say, “I’m glad my loved one died because it brought me here.” But it does mean that He can pull something wonderful out of even the worst situation. There are times in life where God does bring things to get our attention, to test our faith to see whether it is authentic. But this is always done for our betterment. To call us closer to Him where we belong. God showed Himself even more clearly to Paul through the situation in Asia. Paul better understood that He needed to rely on God more fully because of what he went through. He found out that even in a hopeless situation, there is hope that God will deliver once again. Whatever your situation is today, there is hope. If you have sin in your life, repent. The consequences of sin are never worth it. But not every bad thing that happens in life is a result of sin. We do know that one day, all this sorrow, pain, and hurt will be forever behind us. Glory be to God.