“But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:9 ESV).
In his second letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul wrote how the hardships he and his fellow believers had experienced in Asia Minor had nearly crushed them. For their afflictions were so great that they despaired of life itself. Yet the Lord was faithful and their experience taught them to rely on God alone.
God often allows trouble and suffering to crush our self-reliance in order to teach us to rely wholly on Him. We may think that we have fully trusted the Lord for all things. Yet when we experience the loss of physical health or of a job or the death of a loved one, we find that our trust of the Lord was not whole. Walking with a limp, we learn to lean more fully on the Lord.
Those who have learned to rely on God alone have learned true contentment. For they have learned to cast all their cares on Him.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we cast all our cares, all our fears, all our worries on You today. For we know that You love us and care for us. Help us to know complete contentment and peace in You, knowing that You are even able to raise the dead. In Jesus’ name, amen.