By Jeffery M. Leonard, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biblical & Religious Studies, Samford University
WHEN YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES FALL SHORT
2 Corinthians 1:8–10; 12:6–10
On January 27, 1967, NASA experienced one of the worst accidents in its history. As the race to the moon turned to the Apollo missions, three astronauts boarded the Apollo I capsule for a launchpad test. Tragically, a fire ignited in the capsule, and despite heroic efforts to rescue the men, all three perished.
A memorial display for the astronauts at the Kennedy Space Center bears the name “Ad Astra Per Aspera,” a Latin phrase that translates roughly to “a difficult road leads to the stars.” This phrase offers a somber recognition of the great sacrifices that were involved in completing the lunar program.
But the truth of this phrase is certainly not limited to the attempt to get a man on the moon. It is equally true of a life of faith. While its destination may be grand and glorious, the path that leads to that destination can be exceedingly difficult.
Trying circumstances draw us to rely on God. (1:8–10)
The Apostle Paul was no stranger to hardship. Almost from the moment he stopped resisting God and turned to follow Christ, he began to suffer for his newfound faith.
In his second letter to the Corinthians, he describes a life of hardship, beatings, imprisonments, sleepless nights, hunger and more (2 Cor. 6:4–5). Elsewhere in the same letter, he describes sufferings he endured in his ministry that were so intense that he “despaired of life itself” and felt he had “received the sentence of death” (1:8–9).
Showing a kind of faith that can be hard to imagine, Paul actually took courage from these afflictions. He saw them as a kind of spiritual lesson, teaching him to rely not on himself but on the God he served.
Trying circumstances keep us humble before God. (12:6–8)
Paul recognized God’s hand in another kind of suffering he endured, this time in the form of some sort of internal affliction.
The exact nature of Paul’s affliction has eluded scholars. He describes it as a “thorn in the flesh” and “a messenger of Satan,” but these descriptions are open to considerable interpretation.
Some have proposed that it might have been a matter of bad eyesight (cf. Gal. 4:15; 6:11). Some diseases are also suggested. Regardless, it was clear that the apostle longed to be free of his condition.
He notes that he prayed three times for God to remove it from him but God would not. The visions and revelations Paul had experienced were so great, he worried, that he might grow boastful. Paul saw this thorn in the flesh as God’s way of keeping him humble.
God strengthens us by His grace to endure trying circumstances. (9–10)
Paul was clearly a charismatic individual. His rhetorical skills still shine through nearly two millennia after his death, and the many converts he made and churches he founded could easily have led him into a dangerous arrogance.
God used Paul’s suffering to teach him that it was God’s grace that he needed, not his own great talents. God’s power would be better displayed in Paul’s weakness than in his spiritual power.
As Paul learned this lesson, he came to see great benefit in his suffering. He was willing to endure insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities because he knew, “When I am weak, then I am strong.” He recognized that it was precisely when he was weak that the power of Christ rested upon him.
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