In the first chapter of 2 Corinthians, Paul illustrates his praise to God for being the “source of all comfort.” Verse 6 says, “Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation.”
Apostle Paul faces trails through his missionary journey, especially when passing through the province of Asia. He was “crushed and overwhelmed beyond [his] ability to endure”. He claims that he never thought he would make it through, and expected to die. But he “stopped relying on himself and learned to rely only on God.” By placing his confidence in Christ, God rescued him.
I encourage you to meditate on what verse 12 says: “We have depended on God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom.” This is one of those powerful verses I have memorized because it is applicable in all situations and motivates me to give everything up to God.
As I approach this week of final exams, I know that I cannot rely on my own knowledge or understanding—I must cling to the wisdom and love of Christ Jesus. Colossians 3:23 says to “work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” This piece of Scripture encourages me to shift my focus off of worldly things and on to heavenly things. If my motivation is to impress men, I would be rely on worldly things. But since I have committed to work toward pleasing my Savior, I rely on His Word and His teachings because He is the only One that can get me through. Paul reiterates this concept when writing to Timothy about how to be a good soldier for Christ. “Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive His approval” (2 Timothy 2:15).
Ok, so “work hard” “depend on God’s grace” “work for the Lord”…But how do we exactly do that?? Well, we know that God is the Prince of Peace, the source of all comfort. Simply go to your knees, pray to Him and give everything up to Him. He’ll know what to do with it. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not worry about anything, but pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” So, that is step one, which ultimately in and of itself can get you through anything!
Step two: Cling to the Scriptures… Do not let your busy schedule cause your daily devotional time to decrease. Do not use the excuses of “I’m just so stressed out” “I have a final exam tomorrow” etc. Now that I think about it, I think it is silly to use those excuses, because in these stressful and busy times is when we need God most. 2 Timothy 3:17 says “God uses [Scripture] to prepare and equip His people to do every good work.” Meditating on Scripture and memorizing verses will benefit you tremendously in the midst of stressful and uncertain times. Cling to the Word of God, for it is “alive and powerful” (Hebrews 4:12).
I am going to leave you with one more verse that I encourage you to take to heart and apply it to this upcoming week. I know this week will be tough and overwhelming, but just remember to 1. Pray and receive God’s peace, 2. Cling to the Scriptures and mediate on the wisdom of God, and 3. “Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed” (Proverbs 16:3).
