Trust and Troubles

“We were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves in order that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:8-9).  Every Christian will at one time or another be able to echo Paul’s words here.  Why does God bring us into such overwhelming troubles, into circumstances that appear hopeless?  Because we are so desperately dependent on the things of this world, and are so prone to trust in ourselves.  Unless God drives us from these things, we will never know what it is to live by faith in Him.  Only when all other props and comforts are pulled away do we learn to depend on Him alone.  That in a nutshell is the way God trains us to live by faith.  When all natural and ordinary means fail, we must look to God,  His power is seen in our weakness.  We experience His grace most fully, and are most assured of His presence, in adversity.  Every hard providence is an opportunity to experience God’s power in our lives.