Hope, not Cope

Yesterday was a tough day.

I'd been struggling with something, and this something has been going on for years. There was a particularly bad episode night before last. As I fell into a fitful sleep, by soul resonated with the words Paul penned in his second letter to the church in Corinth:

"For we do not want you to be ignorant, 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..." -2 Corinthians 1:8-9a

I woke up the next morning with one thought on my mind: What can I do to cope? Mistake number one. Coping will only prolong my dispair and struggling. I sat in that very position for most of the day. Then the spirit in his kindness reminded me of something...

"...But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 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. You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many." -2 Corinthians 1:9b-11

I was sinning. Are we surprised? I had submitted to the sin of self-sufficiency. I was relying on myself to get through this trial. I wasn't taking the opportunity, as Paul did, to rely on God for my stregnth and grow in dependence on him. When I rely on myself, all I can do is cope. But if I rely on God, I can hope.

So I learned two things from this passage.

1. Put my home in the God who raises the dead - meaning the God who loved me enough to send his son to die in my place. That is what gives me hope in my circumstances. Apart from the Gospel, I indeed have no hope at all.
2. Pray - Paul's closing in this section is asking the Corinthians to pray because prayer works. I need to go before God in prayer and ask for strength to do more than just cope, but to hope.

And wouldn't you know, as I did these things throughout the day, I saw change that very evening? Isn't God kind?