Category Archives: Prayer

GOD DOES ANSWER PRAYERS

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GOD’S PROMISE OF ANSWERED PRAYER
The majority of Americans claim to pray. So this means many seek God’s assistance or intervention for everything imaginable but many of these people are not Christians. Many may not even believe in God. But as I have written before, not every prayer is answered as desired. God wants us to pray and He will always answer persistent prayers. He knows our heart and He knows what we truly need. Jesus taught us to pray with persistence and trust that our heavenly Father will answer. Luke gives us some important incite about the proper attitude and approach to prayer to be effective.
Read Luke 11:5-10
In Luke 11:1 Jesus’ disciples requested that He teach them to pray, as John the Baptist had taught his disciples. Jesus’ response was to teach Hid disciples the Model Prayer (Luke 11:2-4) and giving them a parable (vv. 5-8) and some instructions (vv. 9-13). Jesus was encouraging disciples to pray persistently because of God’s goodness and His willingness to give good things to those who trust and believe in Him. However, Jesus knew the disciples (and us) need more than the words to pray. Jesus was teaching that all who pray need the proper attitude- from the heart- and the proper approach- humbly. Jesus knew His disciples needed to know how and why they should pray. One of the key aspects of prayer is that it should be done with an attitude of bold persistence.
Matthew’s account of the Model Prayer is longer and more familiar. The setting is also different; Matthew 6:9-15 is part of the Sermon on the Mount. The shorter version of the prayer in Luke was given by Jesus in response to the disciples’ request that He teach them to pray. This shows that the Model Prayer was given primarily as a model for praying rather than as a formal prayer to recite. It is important to remember that both accounts were given by Jesus.
Luke’s account of the Model Prayer (NLT) 11:2-4: Jesus said this is how you should pray. “Father, may your name be kept holy; May your kingdom come soon. Give us each day the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation.”
When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He made forgiveness the cornerstone of their relationship with God. God has forgiven our sins; we must now forgive those who have wronged us. To remain unforgiving shows we have not understood that we ourselves deeply need to be forgiven. Think of some people who have wronged you. Jesus would ask: Have you forgiven them? How will God deal with us if He treats us as we treat others?
After teaching the disciples how to pray, Jesus turned to a more difficult task: to teach them the need to pray. This is the point of the parable of the friend at midnight (vv.5-8). The disciples had asked Jesus to teach them to pray, which may imply that the main need is to know what to say when praying. The key, however, is recognized the need to pray. We learn to pray by praying. The one who prays out of a sense of need is the one who truly learns to pray. The main sense of need was great. Hospitality was a sacred duty in that society; and the host had nothing to set before the hungry traveler, who arrived unexpectedly and late. The host’s sense of need was so great that he disturbed his friend and neighbor’s sleep to ask for help. “Importunity” (NRSV) in verse 8 refers to his shameless knocking at his neighbor’s door so late at night.
Verses 9-10 apply the story in verses 5-8. Just as the man’s deep need drove him to seek help from his friend, so should our need drive us to God. When it does, we can be sure God will hear us. The parable of the friend at midnight has much in common with the parable of the unjust judge in Luke 18:1-8. Each teaches the need for continuing in prayer. Each is told in a form which on the surface seems to imply that God must be persuaded to answer our prayers by our continual and persistent requests. This, however, misses the point in both parables. The need for persistence in praying is our need, not God’s. The point, therefore, is definitely NOT that God must be persuaded to hear our prayers by our persistence. The man in the parable was persistent because (1) his need was desperate and (2) his relationship with his neighbor was good. Prayer is persistent for the same two reasons. When the need is real, no one needs to tell us to keep praying about it. Likewise, because we know that God loves us, we continue to pray to Him even when the specific requests do not seem to be answered.
Persistence, or boldness, in prayer overcomes our insensitivity, not God’s. To practice persistence does more to change our heart and mind than God’s, and it helps us understand and express the intensity of our need. Persistence in prayer helps us recognize God’s work. So the goal of persistent prayer is not to try to convince God to see our point of view or to try to change His mind. Instead, persistent prayer is to put us in a position of humble submission and trust before God.
What kinds of results do we expect when we pray?
Read Luke 11:11-13
While still teaching on the subject of prayer, Jesus turned His attention from praying steadfastly to the subject of how God desires to answer our prayers. The analogy in verses 11-13 is like a parable. Verses 5-8 and 11-13 are “how-much-more” parables. If a friend inconvenienced himself because of persistent cries for help, “how much more” will our loving Father give us what we need? If an earthly father does his best to respond to his child’s request for something to eat, “how much more” will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him? (v.13).
God is the giver of every good gift. He gives many of His gifts apart from prayer, but our deepest needs can only be met through prayer. The best gift God ever gives if the gift of His presence to be with us. The gift of His Spirit’s presence and power in our lives is the best answer to prayer, and this gift is continually given even when many of our requests seem to have gone unanswered. Even though good earthly fathers make mistakes, they treat their children well. How much better our perfect heavenly Father treats His children! The most important gift Jesus could ever give us is the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4), whom He promised all believers after His death, resurrection, and return to heaven (John 15:26).
This points up another reason why genuine prayer is persistent. Some needs change from day to day, but communion with God is an unchanging characteristic of a life of faith. Whatever the urgency of specific petitions, the need for daily communion with God remains constant.

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REVELATION IN PRAYER

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CONNECTED THROUGH PRAYER

How many times do we pray for the church? I will be the first to admit that many times when I pray I forget to include the church. However, when the church is on mission for Christ, it is a major threat to Satan. So Satan will work to cause the church and its leaders problems. This is the time when it is even more important to pray for the church and its leadership. God, in ways we don’t always understand fully, chooses to work through the prayers of believers. In the last part of Ephesians, Paul has one last word of instruction – Pray! There were competing religions and philosophies that were causing the Ephesus church problems. We are often exposed to the same type of problems today. The evil that the church was facing required faith and prayer! The mystery of how prayer works must not distract us from our task to pray and to focus on the truth that God wants in our prayers.

Read Ephesians 6:18

Paul was directing Christians to stand their ground and to put on spiritual armor so they could be victorious as they engaged in spiritual warfare- leading up to this verse. He urged believers tin other churches to give serious attention to the ministry of prayer (1 Thess. 5:17; Phil. 4:6; Col. 4:2). In verse 18, Paul said they (and us) need to pray at all times, pray with persistence, and pray for each other. This means we must face every situation with prayer. Again, Paul used the Greek meaning of time- it referred to the opportunity.

How can we pray at all times and how does it influence our daily routines? (We can make quick, brief prayers to respond to every situation we meet during the day. This would influence our daily routines by thinking of God at all times.) This means ordering our life around God’s desires and teachings so our way of life becomes a prayer. We don’t have to isolate ourselves from other people and from daily work or interests in order to pray constantly. We can make prayer our life and our life a prayer while living in a world that needs God’s powerful influence. We also should pray for all believers in Christ. So pray for the Christians you know and for the church around the world (all the saints). Paul is saying that “praying” refers to the way all things are to be done. This is the thought behind the hymn which says “Put on the gospel armor,/ Each piece put on with prayer”. The military image drops into the background her, but prayer is the soldier’s communication with headquarters. It is also the spirit with which the troops support one another. Modern armies call for air support (a big reason we all are NOT speaking German or Japanese today). God’s army calls for prayer support. This prayer is to be at all times – time as an opportunity (5:16). Prayer is to be in the Spirit- that is- with the Spirit’s help and with the Spirit as the direction of Christian’s life.

Read Ephesians 6:19-20

Paul states something that could be difficult to understand- “Mystery of the Gospel”.  This means that the gospel –the true, only way of salvation- was hidden, a mystery, God has now made known, though it remains a mystery to many (non-believers).  Think about the people of the Old Testament; how we learned how some were saved- Isaiah, Ezekiel, etc. But do we really know how Moses, David, Daniel and others received salvation? We are convinced they were saved- but it was a “mystery”.

Undiscouraged and undefeated, Paul wrote powerful letters of encouragement from prison. Paul did not ask the Ephesians to pray that his chains would be removed but that he would continue to speak fearlessly for Christ in spite of them. God can use us in any circumstance. We should also pray that God will accomplish His plan through us right where we are. Knowing God’s eternal purpose for us will help us through the difficult times. Paul’s request for prayer, for himself, to preach the gospel showed his desire and commitment to the gospel. The phrase “open my mouth” was one that is only used for very serious matters. Paul said he was “an ambassador in chains”. There were many ambassadors in Rome in some fine embassies, but as indicated Paul was in prison. He asked only to empowered and strengthened to speak for Christ.

Read Ephesians 6:21-22

We can pray for church leaders better when we know about their circumstances. So what keeps us from being more aware of our church leaders’ prayer needs? (We need to make our duty to desire to know more about our leaders. Of course, many leaders are private people- not true of our Pastor. He is always telling us his personal stories.) Paul tells us a bit about Tychicus (Acts 20:4), whom he describes as a “early loved brother and faithful servant in the Lord”. Tychicus was one of the missionaries who accompanied Paul on his third missionary journey. Paul referred to him four times in his letters. Paul wrote that Tychicus would give the church an update on Paul’s situation (Col. 4:7). He told Timothy he had sent Tychicus to Ephesus (2 Tim. 4:12). Paul also mentioned to Titus that he was sending Tychicus or Artemas (Titus 3:12). Paul was stating that Tychicus was a dependable co-laborer in Christ and a valued friend in kingdom work. From all of this, we can be sure that Paul prayed for Tychicus.

Up to this point, Paul’s personal words have been limited to identifying himself and explaining his mission to the Gentiles. But here at the end of Paul’s letter, he acknowledged the personal ties between himself and some of his readers. Paul was sending a personal messenger who would give the church news of Paul and to encourage those in the church. Sending Tychicus with news about Paul gives us an excellent example to follow as we pray for others who serve the Lord. By knowing what’s going on with others, we can pray for their personal needs, their families, and the provision of resources. We can ask the Lord to give them boldness as they us eth opportunity that opens up to them. I believe you will acknowledge that praying in specific ways makes out prayer time more purposeful and likely longer.

Following verse 19 where Paul requests prayer for himself, he believed that sending news of himself would permit them to want to pray for him. They could also pray for specific issues like Paul’s health. However as always, Paul was trying to encourage and build them up because he was interested in them. This is a major issue of learning from Paul. Specifically, we can enjoy the blessing of knowing how our faithful friends in Christ are doing as they serve the Lord. We can rest in the assurance that comes with getting recent updates on their work. And our hearts can be encouraged! As we reflect on Paul’s intention to keep his Christina friends informed about how his mission is working by sending Tychicus, we do well to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit who we can trust to guide us to know more about the needs of others. This helps us to know how to pray for others so we can be connected more closely to them.

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PRAY IN PRIVATE: REVELATIONS

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PRAYER IN SOLITUDE   Pray
In today’s society, it is rare and often unsettling to stop doing anything and just be still. Solitude is a challenging behavior and counter to most of our culture. Solitude puts us in the very place from which our efforts are designed to keep us from going or to help us escape. Being truly alone with God without an agenda is most often one of those places.
“Only alone can I draw close enough to God to discover His secrets.” -George Washington Carver! What Mr. Carver is stating is that getting to know God one must pray to Him. However, his quote goes way beyond that. Mr. Carver says that it is important to get very close to God and that can best be done in solitude. Solitude is best when one finds a special place to talk with God, but it is not only talking to God, but to draw close to God. To “draw close enough” one must stop and listen to God. So that raises the question of “How does God speak to us?”
The author of “Experiencing God”, Henry Blackabee, indicates that God speaks in different ways:
He speaks by the Holy Spirit-Hebrews 1:1-2; 1 Cor. 3:16; 1 Cor. 6:19; John 14:26; John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13; Jude 19-21; 1 Cor. 2:14-15 and 1 Cor. 2:10-12.
He speaks through the Bible- Eph. 6:17; Proverbs 19:21; Amos 3:7; John 17:3; Psalms 37; John 10:14; and Phil. 2:13.
He speaks through Prayer- John 14:6; John 17:3; Romans 8:26-27; Phil 2:13; and Matt. 26:36-39.
He speaks through Circumstances- John 5:17, 19-20; Job 1:6-12, 2:1-7; John 11:4; Job 42:12-17; Ex. 5-6; Luke 7:11-17; John 6:1-15; and Josh 4:2-3.
He speaks through the Church- Eph. 4:15-16; 1 Cor. 12:7-31; Eph. 4:13; and 2 Thess. 3:1-2.
He speaks through Obedience- John 14:23; Matt. 12:50; James 2:26; 1 John 2:3-6; Psalms 119:33-35; Matt. 7:21-23; Deut. 28:15-20; Jer. 7:23; John 7:16-17; Jonah 2:9- 3:10; Romans 8:28.
John 8:47- “He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God”.
Jesus gave us the value and the real example of solitude- being completely alone with God away from all distractions, both human and things. Solitude is removing one’s self from their everyday environment and breath the fresh air from the Lord. It is being alone without being lonely- because God is there. Jesus modeled solitude as integral strategic components of His manner of leadership! So what are the examples of Jesus’ leadership in this issue:
1. Matthew 4:1-11- Prior to beginning His public ministry, Jesus spent forty days alone in the desert.
2. Luke 6:12-13- Jesus spent an entire night alone in the desert hills before choosing His twelve disciples.
3. Matthew 14:13- Upon learning of the death of John the Baptist, Jesus went to be alone in a boat.
4. Matthew 14:23-Right after His miracle of feeding of the five thousand men, plus many women and children, Jesus withdrew into the hills by Himself.
5. Mark 1:35- This may be the most powerful example of the critical role that solitude played in the life and leadership of Jesus. This situation is when Jesus went into solitude the next morning after healing many sick people and casting out demons, the disciples said that everyone was looking for Jesus and wanted to be with Him. Instead of doing the popular thing, Jesus prayed to the Father and then told the disciples that they must go to other towns.
These examples show that Jesus needed the time to pray to His Father and hear what God had to say. God gave even Jesus direction. So if we desire God’s direction, we need to follow Jesus’ example to pray in solitude.

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CHRISTIAN LIFE IS BETTER

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WHY THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS BETTER

“The Best Things in Life Don’t Come Easy.” Following Christ is not always easy. The joy and peace experienced by having a genuine relationship with the Creator of the Universe makes all effort and struggles worthwhile. Figuring out how to convey this message to an unbeliever is not always easy. The main thrust of our lesson is to understand why the Christian life is better than any other manner of living and how to best share this with unbelievers.

Read John 14:15-18   The Presence

In the previous two verses, 13 & 14, Jesus gives a promise of power in prayer. The scope of prayer is unlimited but it has a condition. Verse 14 says, “Yes, ask Me for anything in My name and I will do it.” Then in verse 15, we learn the condition- Jesus says to love Him. The one who loves Jesus will live a life of obedience to Him. This is John’s account of the disciples last few moments with Jesus. The eleven disciples had given up everything to passionately follow Jesus. Now He was informing them that His time on earth was coming to an end- not exactly an easy message to swallow for the disciples. Jesus is giving some encouragement to the disciples. John shares with us these promises from Jesus to serve as a great foundation for us for a better Christian life. The close relationship the disciples had with Jesus helped in their petitions to the Father. It is this relationship that Jesus wanted to honor. So the next promise is that the Father will send them -and us- “another counselor”. When it says “another” it means a second counselor in this case. So we are being told that this counselor would be like Jesus Himself. Ask: Who is this counselor and why do you think it says “the world is unable to receive Him or know Him”? (The Holy Spirit! Unbelievers will not know Him and only believers will have the Holy Spirit to reside in them.) The promise of Jesus went even further. He was telling the disciples that even though He was going away, He would have His Father provide a helper that would be personal and permanent. We know that God never abandons us. This promise clearly says that we don’t have to face life alone. (The Christian doesn’t have to face “losing” a loved one alone and without the eternal hope of being with them again.) This is the first reason that Christian life is the best life because we have the PRESENCE of the divine Counselor and the Advocate- this means the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. The word advocate combines the ideas of comfort and counsel- (The NLT version of the Bible uses “advocate” in place of “Counselor”.) Therefore, this suggests the Holy Spirit will be far more than a counselor. He will be that comforter we all need to live a better Christian life.

Read John 14:27-31a    The Peace

After the promise of the Holy Spirit, Jesus told the disciples that He leaves them with “peace”. This is not worldly peace, but Godly peace! This is described as Jesus’ peace, which will far surpass any peace of comfort we can find in the world alone. This is the peace of God, which scripture teaches surpasses all understanding and calms the inner turmoil of His followers. As believers, we receive a peace that the world will never comprehend. Ask: What seems to be the key difference in how God gives and what also Jesus said, “not give to you as the world gives”?  (The world expects that its gift needs to be repair, many times with interest. God gives unconditionally with no expectations that we repay anything.)Jesus continues by saying He expected the disciples to rejoice in the fact that He went to the Father. Then He says that the Father is “greater than I”. This is not a comparison of their ranks or equality, but rather their roles. Scripture teaches that each member of the Trinity is equal. Jesus was saying that He was submitting to many of the physical limitations of His humanity while on earth. (Philippians 2:6). Ask: Who is the “ruler of the world” that Jesus said is coming? It is not who we may first think! (Satan, but they were given assurance that Satan has no power over Jesus.) Again Jesus was giving encouragement to the disciples. He was preparing them for His “going away” and the reason was because He loved the Father and was doing His Father’s will. Jesus assured all future generations of believers that they would be able to cling to God’s presence and PEACE. This was yet another reason why Christian life is better.

Read John 15:11-16   The Purpose

The final benefit of the Christian life Jesus was teaching the disciples in John is divine purpose. We hear often of someone asking the meaning of life and they express how it must be a deep, dark secret. Christianity provides that answer very clearly and simply. We were created to fellowship with God, abide in Him so we might produce spiritual fruit. In other words, seek God’s will and do His will in all things. No one can experience genuine joy apart from a relationship with Christ. In verse 1-10, just preceding what was read, Jesus shares the analogy of the vine and the branches. He is telling the disciples (and us) that your joy will be complete when we love Him and show that love by producing that spiritual fruit. So we know that true, lasting joy which transcends circumstances originates with the Christian life because of our personal relationship with Jesus. Ask: How do you think we take hold of this life full of God’s presence, peace and purpose? (It is likely the most simple yet most difficult thing to do. We simply obey God. We do that by following His guides/commandments for our life and praying to Him constantly. This involves – to love one another.)We know that Christ demonstrated no “greater love than this”, the depth of His love we can never fully understand- until we meet Him face to face in Heaven. We are asked only to accept it. Remember, Jesus was facing arrest, trial, and execution. Yet here He was preparing and giving encouragement to the disciples- and to us. What a great example as we face our final days on this earth and prepare to experience our Great Adventure (more on this tonight). Then in verse 15, Jesus calls us, as believers, His friend! Because Jesus Christ is Lord and Master, He should call us servants. Instead we are called- “My friends, if you do what I command you.” This is not blind obedience, like one would expect from a servant or slave. This is “because a slave doesn’t know what his master is doing”. Jesus tells us that He has “made known to you everything and have heard form My Father.” So Jesus indicates that He has shared all of this with us solely because He “chose us”. How great is it to be chosen by Jesus? Jesus is telling us that when our relationship with His is to the point that we are truly abiding in Him, then things we desire to pray for are the things He impresses upon our hearts. When this occurs, the Father will answer all of our prayers- those that Jesus impresses upon our hearts, through the work of the Holy Spirit. This type of intimacy with the Creator can only be obtained by living the Christian life- Presence, Peace, and Purpose.

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MYSTERY OF MENTAL ILLNESS

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MYSTERY IN THE FACE OF MENTAL ILLNESS
Mental illness can be disguised as invisible wounds. Mental illness can take many forms, the most common is depression but there are other forms of emotional problems. When the problems that we or others face are physical concerns, we typically know how better to pray for and minister to those. However, it is much harder to assist with those with mental illness and this becomes a real struggle. We need not ignore, look the other way, or even worse, denigrate persons with mental and emotional struggles. We hear about so many of these emotional, mental struggles from returning service personnel. It becomes clear that God’s people are to care for those suffering from mental illness, whenever possible. The setting of this lesson is about Corinth where Paul had spent considerable time. Shortly after Paul left Corinth, the church fellowship fragmented and sinful behavior was rampant. There was a lot of concern that some emotional/mental problems were the cause of much of the problem.
Read 2 Corinthians 1:2-3
Paul had founded the Corinthian church during his second missionary journey (Acts 18:1-17), but his relationship with the Corinth believers was troubled. Pride, arrogance, egotism, and emotional concerns replaced the fruit of the Spirit among many believers. Paul was writing to correct the situation but his initial efforts were not very successful. So, 2 Corinthians was another attempt to help the healing and restoration of relationships. This Book of 2 Corinthians is actually the fourth letter that Paul wrote to Corinth. 1 Corinthians 5:9 reflected upon an earlier letter sent from Paul. That letter has been lost. Paul’s second letter is actually what we refer to as 1 Corinthians. Paul wrote 2 Corinthians around AD 55-56 from Macedonia. He was responding to opponents questioning His apostolic authority I Corinth but it included thoughts addressed to the region of Achaia, the Roman providence south of Macedonia.
In all his letters, Paul replaced the usual Greek word for “greeting” with a similar word meaning “grace”. It was a major theme for Paul and certainly one of the great words of the New Testament. Referring to all that God does to save sinners “grace” indicates unmerited favor. God gives this undeserved gift because of His love and His sovereign power. Paul was making yet another case that all can only receive salvation by faith. Paul used a common Jewish greeting- “peace”- that had deeper meaning in the New Testament. Originally it meant freedom from conflict both internal and external. In this sense, it is the opposite of the feeling Paul expressed in 2 Corinthians 7:5: “Our bodies had no rest but we were afflicted at every turn- fighting without and fear within”. In all of its full sense, it describes all the blessings of salvation.
This shows the rich meaning and intense feeling that characterizes 2 Corinthians. Paul was describing both comfort and suffering. The emphasis is on God and “Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”. Paul wrote that God is “the Father of mercies”, which is the Hebrew way of saying merciful father, and as “the God of all comfort”, the one whose comfort meets every need. Mental illness often includes a desperate longing for peace. The church confronts mental illness in its commitment to the Great Commission. The gospel we can and should proclaim will give access to genuine peace both on earth and throughout eternity.
Read 2 Corinthians 1:4-5
How can some physical illness affect mental state? (Depression, irritability, stress, and not being independent.) Paul may have thought about Isaiah 40:1 here, “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God”. Of course, many think that when God comforts us, our troubles should go away. But if that were always so, people would turn to God only out of desire to be relieved of pain and not out of love for Him. Sometimes, we really have to spot and think a bit deeper about some of the way God works. We must understand that being “comforted” can also man receiving strength, encouragement, and hope to deal with our troubles. The more we suffer the more comfort God gives us. If we feel overwhelmed, allow God to comfort us. Remember that every trial we endure will help us comfort other people who are suffering similar troubles. So what are some of the ways we can share Christ’s comfort with others? (Understanding, listening, love, do something for them, give them a gift, and to know where they stand with Christ.)
Suffering for Christ refers to those afflictions we experience as we serve Christ. At the same time, Christ suffers with His people, since they are united with Him. In Acts 9:4-5, Christ asked Paul why he was persecuting Him. This implies that Christ suffered with the early Christians when they were persecuted. This is the thought behind Paul’s expression in verse 5- “The sufferings of Christ, overflows to us”. So we are able to comfort others due to this overflow from Christ. In Colossians 1:24, Paul wrote of his sufferings completing what was lacking from Christ’s afflictions for the church. Scholars often refer to these as “the woes of the Messiah”, the suffering ordained by God for the church to endure before the second coming of Jesus. Another opinion is Paul had in mind the atoning suffering of Jesus on the behalf of believers. Both thoughts have value and both could be valid- since the church is the people. Regardless, through Christ, Paul’s comfort overflows and we, too, may overflow comfort to others. In Romans 8:18, Paul proclaims, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us”.
Read 2 Corinthians 1:6-7
Paul firmly believed that suffering is a part of ministry. This led him to point to his own suffering to provide an example for the Corinthians and to witness to God’s deliverance. Something terrible had happened to him in Asia (Roman providence around Ephesus). No details are given but the best theory is that Paul was referring to some serious physical threat. The Books of Acts (written by Luke) refers to many of Paul’s brushes with death, but this seems to be yet another one that Paul experienced. It may have been an attack on his ministry at Ephesus (Acts 19:21-20:1; 20:19; 1 Corinthians 15:32) or some later crisis. Clearly, his life was in danger. Such a crisis had a purpose for one who lived by faith. It led Paul to trust God, not himself. A man has no power in the face of death, God is the one “who raises the dead” (v.9). God delivered Paul from death that time and would again.
Suffering- especially trials and discomfort associated with the advancement of Christ’s kingdom- is God’s was of allowing Christians to become more like Jesus, to suffer for the gospel just as Jesus suffered for it (Philippians 1:29, 3:10). Peter agreed with Paul that Christians should rejoice when they suffer, for in their own suffering they will in some small was experience what it meant for Jesus to suffer for their sins (1 Peter 4:12-13). In addition to drawing people closer to Christ, suffering can also help them grow in their faith. In Romans, Paul noted that suffering produces perseverance, which in turn produces Christian character (Romans 5:3-4; James 1:3; 4:2; Peter 1:6; Revelations 2:2, 19). (For me only- there are times when I believe that I have enough “character”.) However, this passage highlights another benefit to suffering. It teaches the sufferer how to encourage others who are also suffering, even if the two incidents are not the same. It can even help others to identify some mental concerns and seek some help.

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