God who delivers

 II Corinthians 1:10 “Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;”

            The above verse is so relatable to each and every one of us. We read that our God has delivered us thus far, he is delivering us now and will deliver us in the days to come. Our Lord almighty has been protecting and delivering us from all deaths and dangers last year. We see Paul endures all forms of attacks in his life. We read in I Corinthians 1:8 ‘For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:’ Paul begins to share his testimony of his experiences in Asia. He was desperate in wanting to share what had happened in his life. Even though he could not share the details about the events, we see that it was a hopeless situation. Looking at his troubles, he began to question his survival. During our trouble times, the Lord will teach us valuable lessons. Sometimes we do not understand why certain things are happening in our lives, we the children of God should trust that it will all work together for good. Today, let us meditate on the lessons that the Lord taught Paul and how the Lord strengthened and delivered him from this situation.

Confidence

II Corinthians 1:9 “But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:”

            Here Paul explains the severity of his situation. It was dangerous situation that Paul had lost his confidence that he would even survive this trial. When we are given into temptations, we must put our complete trust on the Lord. Worldly people will have their trust on people. But they do not understand that the power of the Lord can raise the dead. We must only rely on the Lord God and must be confident only on him. During problematic situations, we tend to take some efforts to deliver ourselves but it will only make things worse. Our confidence should not be placed on us but on God. We read in Philippians 4:13 ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ It is the sheer strength of God which helps us to overcome things in our lives. In Philippians 4:12 ‘I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.’ If Paul were to say these things in this verse, we can imagine the kind of the experiences he went through in his life. Even though Paul underwent all fatal situations, the Lord did not forsake him. Paul did not trust on him or the people but he trusted on God. The Lord delivered him and made him share his testimony.

Prayer

II Corinthians 1:11 “Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.”

            We all know that the Lord has planned a lot of things for us. In order to receive the blessings, we might face some troubles in our lives. In times of trials and troubles, it is only the prayer that gives us the strength to overcome all hurdles. We see here Paul remembering the prayer of Corinthian church urges them to continuously pray for him. This is a prayer of intercession. We the children of God should cultivate the habit of intercessory prayer. It is true that intercessory prayer is vital for God’s power to be revealed and for his will to be done. The Lord should give us the burden to pray for others. In the scripture we read about Abraham who was filled with the divine faith of the Lord. But at some point, he trusted in Lot. When we read Genesis 13:11 ‘Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.’  We can see eventually Lot left Abraham and went to Sodom’s way. But the Lord did not forsake Abraham in that situation. Even in our lives, let us not put our trust on people like Lot. When we look into the life of David, he trusted on Ahithophel. We read in II Samuel 16:23 ‘And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counselled in those days, was as if a man had enquired at the oracle of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.’ It is true that Ahithophel was a good counsellor but he betrayed David. Same way, we will see the true colors of people only when we are in trouble. Therefore, let us all give importance to prayer which is the only key for deliverance.

Grace

II Corinthians 1:12 “For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.”

            Here Paul advises not to walk with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God. Bible scholars say that many opposed Paul as they misunderstood his actions and his character. The situations of Paul are not conducive as he was judged by people. Many opposed him saying he is prideful, he is not trustworthy, indecisive and mentally unstable. It is by the divine grace of God that delivered him out of everything. We see Paul states that he is rejoicing on the testimony of his conscience.

Sometimes we ourselves may question our actions. In such times our conscience bears a witness for us. Our conscience is a warning system of our soul given by God. In Romans 2:14-15 – We understand that our conscience tells us if our thoughts, plans, opinions about others are right or wrong. In times of confusions, the Holy Spirit will guide us. Also in I Corinthians 4:1-5 – We read that conscience is designed by the Lord to correct us and guide us to higher levels. And it will enable us to obey the words of the Holy Spirit. We read in Acts 14:26 ‘And thence sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled.’ As recorded in this verse, we see they came to Antioch recommended to the grace of God. Even in our lives, we should surrender to the grace of the Lord. When we do so, the hands of the Lord will guide and deliver us from all situations. Amen.