Discovery: The main verses for this week come from vv. 16-18. This is Paul's exhortation to the church in the midst of the problems and difficulties of ministry life.
1. Don't lose heart: v. 16 "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." It hard for us to have the proper perspective in life when things are difficult. It is easy for us to give up or to "lose heart." Paul reminds us that it is only through faith in Jesus that we can have the proper perspective when it comes to dealing with the struggles of life. It may seem like we are "wasting away" but faith allows us to see that there is something deeper happening within us.
2. Don't get bogged down with the "here and now": v. 17 "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." Our problem hardly seem "light and momentary" but that is what Paul calls them. He tells us not to be fixated on the problems of this world. Otherwise, we miss the bigger picture. We end up being paralyzed by our present situations and not seeing God deeper activity in our lives.
3. Don't put our focus on the things that we can control and understand: v. 18 "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." It is hard to focus on the unseen. It feels silly, irresponsible, or blind. Instead, we rather "struggle" with our present situation because it seems more responsible, practical, and godly. The reality is that that we enjoy a certain level of control when we try to handle our own problems. Giving up this control is the real issue. We need to acknowledge, understand, and ultimately surrender the questions, problems, and struggles that we are going to. We cannot fix them! We need to turn to the only One who can...
Application: I shared about the book, "Hind's Feet on High Places" by Hannah Hurnard. I have always enjoyed this allegory of the Christian life. I can relate with the ways that the main character Much Afraid is someone who desires to move from the valley of Fearing to the High Places that the Good Shepherd promises to lead her. I can also relate with the ways that the two guides that the Good Shepherd gives her are Sorrow and Suffering. Who in their right mind would choose to have these two as their traveling guides in life? Yet these are the two that the Good Shepherd has given her.
Needless to say, I don't enjoy sorrow or suffering. Yet when I look back on my life, I can see how His presence has been most intimate to me during these times. Truth be told, I would still rather avoid these two things if it were my personal choice. However when I am confronted with these two things, I hope my response is not "Why are you doing this to me, Lord?" but rather, "God what are you trying to teach me in the midst of this?"
Prayer: Give me a humility that doesn't try to fix my own problems. Instead give me a heart that asks the right questions in the midst of life's difficulties and surrenders to You.
