This month we’ve been studying lessons about affliction in 2 Corinthians 1. When we suffer, we receive God’s comfort, grow in hope, and deepen our reliance on God. Last week we saw that Paul and his companions suffered so badly that they weren’t sure they could survive it (2 Corinthians 1:8-9). This week’s verse gives us the foundation of Paul’s hope in dire circumstances: his hope in God’s deliverance.
“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 1:10)
Paul celebrated God’s past deliverance and counted on God’s future deliverance. He knew that God would either deliver him on this earth, or He would deliver him from this earth into his heavenly home. In fact, later in this letter, Paul says he would “rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8).
This confidence reminds me of the confidence we see in Daniel 3 before Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into the fiery furnace by King Nebuchadnezzar. These three young Israelites were in exile in Babylon and had refused to down down to a golden idol. When Nebuchadnezzar asked what god would save them, they replied:
“If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Daniel 3:17-18)
Like Paul, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had confidence in God’s deliverance. They also trusted God’s purposes, even if the deliverance didn’t look the way they would choose.
If you have placed your hope in Christ, God has already delivered you from sin and death through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. Sometimes we may not understand why God doesn’t deliver us more quickly from our earthly trials. But when our hope is in Christ, this is the confidence we have in hard times: our God has delivered us, and He will deliver us again.
No matter what you face this week, God is your deliverer.
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