Miracles or Enduring Hardships?

Miracles or Enduring Hardships?

“We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.”
2 Corinthians 1:8-9

Paul is writing to the Corinthians. He is telling them that he wants them to understand his group’s hardships. The pressure was great. It was far beyond their ability to endure that they despaired even of life. In their hearts, they felt the sentence of death. Their situation was so grave they thought they would die.

Their hearts which are the wellsprings of life, the place out of which all living flows, began to stop believing there was more to life. I know what it is like to have a heart fully alive, and I know what it is like to have a heart that feels life will never be the same. It feels like there is no more living to be had, and death is waving to you. Your long-term goals are to wake up and make it through one more day. The pressure is beyond your ability to endure.

This word for “ability” in the Greek is dunamis which means “to be able, achieving power.” This power is different from other words for power because this power is active, working, and achieving. It is not just ability. It is working power! The English word “dynamite” is derived from dunamis. Jesus used dunamis in Acts 1:8 to tell the disciples that they would receive this power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them. In Ephesians 1:18-20, Paul prayed that all who will believe will know His incomparably great power. He tells them that this power is the same power that God exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms. In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Paul tells us that he delights in his weaknesses because God’s power is made perfect in weakness. So he will boast in his weaknesses so Christ’s power may dwell in him. God intended for us to know this power that is living inside of us. We are meant to experience the dynamite power of God that is all accomplishing.

Paul had experienced it. He had healed people of their many afflictions. He had raised the boy back to life who fell asleep, fell, and died while Paul was preaching. God had done extraordinary miracles through him in Asia so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them (Acts 19:11-12). However, this suffering that he endured in Asia was beyond the dunamis power that God was willing to release in his life. Paul experienced sufferings that were above and beyond his ability to endure.


Without God, you and I have no power over death. We are powerless against the kingdom of darkness. We have no control of this life. We are powerless against our idols and strongholds. We cannot heal ourselves. We cannot experience victory apart from God. However, with God we can change from trampled wimps to mighty warriors. Defeat is not in our vocabulary.

Sometimes God gives us the dunamis power to heal all sorts of diseases. Sometimes God does not allow us to invoke our dependent power displayed, but He requires us to invoke our dependent power of the mind. I believe a committed disciple will have periods of both displayed in her life if she lives long enough and if she is willing to experience both sides. Some of us believe God so much for miracles that we would stay on that side and be ill-equipped to remain faithful when God does not release His dunamis power. Some of us have never believed God and don’t think He performs miracles anymore. We only need to open our eyes because God is doing miracles all around us…Healing people physically…Healing people of generational sin… Defeating their giants.

O, my dear precious one, have you lived both sides? Have you seen His power applied in your life? Have you relied on Him so much that you have been free from despair and even seen Him remove the death sentence? Are you willing to accept a God who gives us opportunities to experience both sides? May you and I be true to God no matter the hardship. May we always believe that even though we can’t figure out the miracle that our God can do more than we can ask or imagine and release His dunamis power in our lives!

Pray with me: O, God, You are mighty! You are majestic! You are the Giver of every good gift. When we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will not fear because You are with us. You will never forsake us!

We will experience times that we despair even of life. Our hearts may feel the death sentence and that there is no way out, but with You there is always a way. Help us to remember this. With You there is always a way. There may be circumstances that we can’t change, but for You it is nothing to change it. You can reverse time, make the sun stand still, or even undo death! Everything is possible with You, and do not ever let our hearts stop giving You room to be God. We believe in Your mighty power and Your willingness to heal anyone. Show Your power and loving kindness to heal the afflicted whom we encounter so that we can bring You glory!

In times of despair, we want to be proved true! We want to fully rely on You. In hardships, when we feel like we cannot go on, may You reveal Yourself to us even more as we depend on You for each minute. May we be like Paul and be willing vessels of either miracle-working power or mind power to endure. It is in the mighty Name of Your Son Jesus, Yeshua, that we pray. Amen.

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