Finding Hope and Strength in Overwhelming Trials

 

Summary

In moments of profound struggle and despair, it can feel as though God is absent or even against us. Many of us have experienced times when life seems unbearable, and we question why God allows such suffering. The Apostle Paul, in 2 Corinthians 1, shares a similar experience of affliction that was beyond his strength to bear. This challenges the common belief that God will not give us more than we can handle. Paul’s testimony reveals that God sometimes allows us to face overwhelming circumstances to shift our trust from ourselves to Him, the one who raises the dead.

This journey into brokenness is not about God being cruel but about deepening our faith and reliance on Him. When we reach the end of our own abilities and resources, we are invited into a deeper fellowship with God, experiencing His power in ways we never imagined. It is in these moments of perceived death that God prepares us for a resurrection, a transformation that reveals His glory and power in our lives.

Paul’s experience teaches us that God’s deliverance is not just a past event but a present and future promise. Even when we feel buried under the weight of our trials, God is writing more chapters in our story. We are encouraged to be honest with God about our feelings, to pray, and to seek the prayers of others. In our rawness and vulnerability, we find that God is not still, even when He seems silent. He is working to bring about a resurrection in our lives, turning our hopeless situations into testimonies of His faithfulness and power.

Key Takeaways:

- God's Purpose in Overwhelming Trials: Sometimes God allows us to face more than we can bear to shift our trust from ourselves to Him. This is not a sign of His absence but an invitation to deeper faith and reliance on His power. [06:31]

- The Myth of Self-Sufficiency: God strips us of self-sufficiency to teach us to depend on Him. Our talents and resources are gifts, but they should not replace our trust in God. When we rely solely on ourselves, we miss the opportunity to experience His resurrection power. [09:21]

- The Reality of Resurrection Power: Experiencing God's power to raise the dead in our lives transforms our understanding of Him. It moves us from hearing about God to seeing His work firsthand, deepening our relationship with Him. [11:17]

- Honesty in Prayer: Being honest with God about our feelings, even when we feel disappointed or abandoned, is crucial. God knows our hearts, and expressing our raw emotions can lead to a deeper connection and understanding of His purposes. [15:01]

- Hope in God's Deliverance: God's deliverance is a continuous promise. Even when we feel buried by our circumstances, He is writing more chapters in our story. Our current trials are not the end, and we can trust in His future deliverance. [13:52]

Youtube Chapters:

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:09] - Feeling Overwhelmed by God
[01:11] - The Struggle of Unanswered Prayers
[02:18] - Paul's Affliction in Asia
[03:18] - Debunking the Myth of Self-Sufficiency
[04:40] - The Sentence of Death
[05:32] - Invitation to Deeper Fellowship
[06:31] - Trusting in God's Power
[08:00] - Paul's Trust Issue
[09:21] - The Purpose of Brokenness
[10:44] - Experiencing Resurrection Power
[12:24] - God's Purpose in Letting Lazarus Die
[13:30] - The Promise of Deliverance
[15:01] - Being Honest with God
[16:24] - More Chapters to Be Written
[17:35] - Rawness in Prayer
[18:36] - Encouragement to Not Give Up

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- 2 Corinthians 1:8-10

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Observation Questions:

1. What specific affliction did Paul mention in 2 Corinthians 1:8, and how did it affect him and his companions? [02:18]

2. According to the sermon, what common myth about God's role in our struggles does Paul’s experience challenge? [03:18]

3. How does Paul describe the purpose of the overwhelming trials he faced, as mentioned in the sermon? [06:31]

4. What does Paul say about God's deliverance in 2 Corinthians 1:10, and how is it described in the sermon? [13:52]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. How does Paul’s experience of feeling overwhelmed beyond his strength challenge the belief that God will not give us more than we can handle? [03:18]

2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that God uses our moments of brokenness to deepen our faith and reliance on Him? [09:21]

3. How does the concept of resurrection power, as discussed in the sermon, transform our understanding of God’s work in our lives? [11:17]

4. What role does honesty in prayer play in our relationship with God, according to the sermon? How might this honesty affect our spiritual growth? [15:01]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on a time when you felt overwhelmed by circumstances. How did you respond, and what might it look like to shift your trust from yourself to God in similar situations? [06:31]

2. The sermon discusses the myth of self-sufficiency. Identify an area in your life where you rely more on your own abilities than on God. What steps can you take to depend more on Him? [09:21]

3. Consider a situation in your life that seems hopeless. How can you invite God’s resurrection power into that situation, and what might change if you do? [11:17]

4. How can you practice being more honest with God in your prayers this week? What specific feelings or struggles do you need to bring before Him? [15:01]

5. The sermon encourages us to seek the prayers of others. Who can you reach out to for prayer support in your current struggles, and how can you also support others in prayer? [15:48]

6. Think about a trial you are currently facing. How can you remind yourself that God is still writing more chapters in your story, and what practical steps can you take to hold onto hope in His deliverance? [13:52]

7. Reflect on the idea that God is not still, even when He seems silent. How can you cultivate a mindset of trust and patience during times when God’s presence feels distant? [18:58]

Devotional

Day 1: Trusting God in Overwhelming Trials
In times of overwhelming trials, it can feel as though God is absent or even against us. However, these moments are not a sign of His absence but an invitation to deepen our faith and reliance on His power. The Apostle Paul, in 2 Corinthians 1, shares his experience of affliction that was beyond his strength to bear, challenging the belief that God will not give us more than we can handle. Instead, God allows us to face overwhelming circumstances to shift our trust from ourselves to Him, the one who raises the dead. This journey into brokenness is about deepening our faith and reliance on God, experiencing His power in ways we never imagined. [06:31]

"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." (2 Corinthians 1:8-9, ESV)

Reflection: What is one overwhelming trial you are currently facing, and how can you shift your trust from your own strength to God's power today?


Day 2: The Illusion of Self-Sufficiency
God sometimes strips us of self-sufficiency to teach us to depend on Him. Our talents and resources are gifts, but they should not replace our trust in God. When we rely solely on ourselves, we miss the opportunity to experience His resurrection power. Paul’s testimony reveals that God allows us to face more than we can bear to shift our trust from ourselves to Him. This is not a sign of His absence but an invitation to deeper faith and reliance on His power. [09:21]

"Thus says the Lord: 'Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.'" (Jeremiah 17:5-6, ESV)

Reflection: Identify one area in your life where you rely on your own strength. How can you begin to depend more on God in this area today?


Day 3: Experiencing Resurrection Power
Experiencing God's power to raise the dead in our lives transforms our understanding of Him. It moves us from hearing about God to seeing His work firsthand, deepening our relationship with Him. Paul’s experience teaches us that God’s deliverance is not just a past event but a present and future promise. Even when we feel buried under the weight of our trials, God is writing more chapters in our story. [11:17]

"And what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 1:19-20, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on a situation where you have seen God's resurrection power in your life. How did it change your understanding of Him?


Day 4: Honesty in Prayer
Being honest with God about our feelings, even when we feel disappointed or abandoned, is crucial. God knows our hearts, and expressing our raw emotions can lead to a deeper connection and understanding of His purposes. In our rawness and vulnerability, we find that God is not still, even when He seems silent. He is working to bring about a resurrection in our lives, turning our hopeless situations into testimonies of His faithfulness and power. [15:01]

"Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah." (Psalm 62:8, ESV)

Reflection: What is one emotion or feeling you have been hesitant to express to God? How can you be more honest with Him in your prayers today?


Day 5: Hope in God's Continuous Deliverance
God's deliverance is a continuous promise. Even when we feel buried by our circumstances, He is writing more chapters in our story. Our current trials are not the end, and we can trust in His future deliverance. Paul’s experience teaches us that God’s deliverance is not just a past event but a present and future promise. We are encouraged to be honest with God about our feelings, to pray, and to seek the prayers of others. [13:52]

"Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." (Isaiah 43:19, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you need to trust in God's future deliverance? How can you actively place your hope in His promises today?

Quotes


Paul says it was beyond our strength in other words it was beyond our capacity to Bear it we couldn't you know we couldn't take anymore I can't take this I can't handle this I'm dying he says and the sentence of death was on us in other words the the next thing on the agenda was to die rather than live like this rather than bear this rather than go through this he's saying God put more on us than we could bear because only there was only one thing left to die. [00:04:12]

Paul goes on to say listen to his words in verse nine indeed we have the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead listen to me when you are dying the sentence of death you're dying that will always have one reality tied to it and that one reality tied to it because you know you've hit this place cuz you can't fix this that that's the common denominator the reason that you want to give up is there is no fixing in sight. [00:06:31]

Paul said the reason God put me here was to train change my focus of trust I had to deal with a trust issue see Paul is a very talented man PA Paul Paul isn't kind of some get by Guy Paul is very talented his resume reads to the top of the list Paul could do it all so to take Paul deeper in faith he had to put him in a situation he could not fix that his resume could not handle that his abilities could not change so that he would learn to trust God. [00:08:01]

The word we use for this is Brokenness Brokenness is simply when God strips us of our self-sufficiency when God removes our tenden to depend upon ourselves the problem is not using our abilities or using our gifts or using our talents or using our contacts God puts those things there for us to utilize in his purposes but when he sees that we have relied on those you know we trust in the horses the Old Testament talks about and the bows and the arrows we don't just use them we Bank on them. [00:09:21]

It takes an awful lot of power to raise something dead yeah you got to have a little something so you gotta have some juice to raise the dead okay one thing you know if something was dead that got up whatever got it up got a little something something going on cuz it takes some juice to raise the Dead one of our problems with God is we've never seen him raise the dead we have never seen so many Christians have never seen God take a hopeless situation and flip it. [00:10:44]

It's easy to say I've heard about him with the hearing of the ear that's easy you can do that every Sunday every Wednesday hear about him with the hearing of the yeah but it's a whole another the thing to say I have seen him with my own eyes that's a whole different Paradigm when the understanding of the reality of God has now burst on the scene cuz you watch the resurrection that's why God let Lazarus die he says I let Lazarus die because I want to show you something. [00:11:17]

He says I am delivered I will be delivered and I will be delivered I don't know what grave you're in and some of us aren't six feet under we 16 feet under you know it's just getting a deeper hole the hole is getting deeper and you have done everything you know to do it's it's one thing if you haven't done what you're supposed to do what God tells you do but but you've done that fact you tired of doing that and sometimes you feel like you could just get away from God just just leave me alone. [00:13:52]

It's amazing to me how people won't be honest with God like God won't know if you don't say it he know you're mad at him he know you feel like he taking too long he know he feels like you forgotten him and you'd have moved on to somebody else trying to sing Kum by yah my Lord he he knows all that he is well aware and you might as well tell him God I you have disappointed me he Paul says we had the sentence of death on us and God did it so that God might let us see that he raises the dead. [00:15:01]

Don't be ashamed to pray and to call for prayer when you're in your Cemetery there's some people here tonight who are in a cemetery and you're just looking for your headstone you're looking for where they've dug the hole you don't even need a casket you just ready to flaw in there cuz you're tired I didn't know we would begin our service the way we did tonight but I think if Paul was here he would tell you when I was going through that time my story wasn't over cuz I I was ready I thought death was the next thing but that wasn't the end of my story. [00:16:24]

I know you're tired I know you're hurting I know you're crying I know you're suffering and I know sometimes he is hard to find but remember when God is silent he is not still. [00:18:36]

Paul says it was Affliction and then he throws in this phrase it was beyond our strength so what I want to do right now is I W to demythologize I want to remove a myth that we have all we have all quoted said felt repeated to other people and to ourselves and the myth is God won't put more on you than you can bear I want to remove that myth it sound good sound like something God would say sounds like it works that God won't put more on us than we can bear not true. [00:03:18]

When God sends us through and it's getting worse and worse and worse and worse and worse you praying and praying and praying and praying it's not getting better that is an invitation to a deeper experience with him the fellowship of his sufferings Fellowship is is our sharing of life being conformed to his death he wants to change something remove something something is there. [00:05:32]

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Transcript
What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?
Were there any personal stories shared?