Getting Job-ed
We don’t want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of our affliction that took place in Asia. We were completely overwhelmed—beyond our strength—so that we even despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death, so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a terrible death, and he will deliver us. We have put our hope in him that he will deliver us again while you join in helping us by your prayers. 2 Corinthians 1:8-11 CSB
How are you feeling today? On social media and on the news, the world basically feels like it’s erupting. This may differ from your view in eschatology, but the Bible doesn’t exactly say things are going to keep getting better, especially for the Church, until Christ sets all things right (Matthew 24). But what does that mean for us Christians day in and day out?
Our view on a Sovereign God matters. Look at the verses above: Paul and the church in Asia were so overwhelmed they were sure they were going to die but even that had a purpose. What does it say right after that? “…we felt that we had received the sentence of death, so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead…” The purpose was to trust in God to provide. Paul would eventually be martyred. Paul believed all of this occurred within the Sovereign plan of God.
“Could it be that you’re feeling overwhelmed for a reason…?”
What I really wanted us to get at in this article was to really look at where we are getting our hope from. The world is erupting. Our hopes in careers, health, financial stability have all been shaken in the last 18 months. Our hope of this American sentimentalism of our rights and our freedoms is quickly fading. But all of this is not how God sees Christianity: God sees Christianity based on allegiance to Him. Trust in Him as the Psalmist says,
Who do I have in heaven but you?
And I desire nothing on earth but you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart,
my portion forever. Psalm 73: 25-26 CSB
Could it be that you’re feeling overwhelmed for a reason right now? Possibly, “…so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead?” God knows what you need, just like how He even provides for the birds in the sky and grass on the ground (Matthew 6:25-34), He’s that intimately involved with creation. He provided (literally ‘to see’ or ‘to see to it’ in Hebrew- Piper, 2020) a lamb for Abraham to sacrifice in Genesis 22, and He manages details that we can’t even comprehend (Job 36-42). This is the God we trust in.
Trust in God
Hear the echoing words of Jesus,
Come to me all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30 CSB
References
Piper, J. (2020). Providence (pp. 30–33), Crossway.
The Providence of God. (1995, September 10). https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/the-providence-of-god-session-1.
Strong’s Hebrew: 7200. רָאָה (raah) — to see. (n.d.). https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7200.htm.
