“We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.” (II Corinthians 1:8-11 NIV)
Two weeks ago, a freshman on our campus went missing. And as happens in so many communities, people rallied around the family. Fliers with her picture on them went up all over town. Prayer vigils were held and both police and volunteers searched for her. Over the weekend, her body was found in a wooded area near campus. Various reports conclude the young woman hung herself.
In the midst of the search, her family revealed that their daughter had told them that something bad had happened to her during her second week on campus. She was vague, but they believed it was a sexual assault. They said she was upset and distraught. But it seems no one else knew, no one else was told, and that she returned to campus. A day later, it appears she walked away into the woods and killed herself.
This is such a sad story for so many reasons, but the saddest for me is this young woman, in the end, felt so alone, so desperate in the despair over what happened to her, that she would end her life. Like we are all so prone to do, she attempted to deal with her circumstances on her own and it appears she was crushed by their weight.
The whole of Scripture tells the story of our dependence on God, our Creator, and humankind’s consistent resistance to this fact. Our fallen bent is much like that of a four-year-old—“I can do it myself!” We continually tend toward wanting to handle life’s difficulties and challenges on our own. Yet, God allows these things so that we might instead rely on Him.
Paul and his companions found themselves in a desperate situation, in which they “despaired of life itself.” The persecution in Asia was so great they were convinced they would die. Yet, in the midst of their despair, they cried out to God and He spared their lives.
There are many who think Christians have a naïve view of life, that with God one never should question, never have doubts, and never come close to despair because God is faithful. Of course, there are many Christians who do think like this, but they have overlooked the obvious in the Scriptures: many followers of the Lord had doubts and were filled with fear and despair.
The test of faith is not whether we fear or despair when faced with difficult life circumstances. Rather it is whether we choose to rely on ourselves or on the Lord in those moments. Those who choose the former will reap even deeper despair. Those who cry out in desperation to the Lord will find relief.
Today, know you will likely not be spared very difficult circumstances in life. Yet, when they do come, resist the temptation to get through them on your own. In the midst of fear and despair, cry out to the Lord for help and He will lift off of you what feels so crushing. You never have to handle life on your own unless you choose to do so.
© Jim Musser 2014
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