A New Beginning

Has there ever been a time when it seemed like there was no more hope? You were at a point in your life where it seemed your dream was over? Things were so overwhelming you didn’t think you would make it?

 

Each one of us at some time in our life comes to the place where we don’t know what to do next or how to respond, or even how to pray. The dream around which our lives have revolved suddenly seems over. If you have ever found yourself in a place where you were convinced your dream was over, you know this is hard.

 

When we get to this place where we discover we can’t resolve the issues we face, then we get to the place where we learn to trust the wisdom and power of God.

 

The Apostle Paul came to understand this. He went through learning experiences when he had to face dangerous circumstances and conditions in his missionary journeys. In 2 Corinthians 1:9, Paul found himself in such a place.

 

 

“Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves,” Paul wrote, “that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:9).

 

 

Paul was definitely at one of those places where they seemed to be no hope!  The situation before him was so dangerous he called it “the sentence of death!” 

 

The word “sentence” in 2 Corinthians 1:9 is taken from the Greek word “krino.” It refers to a jury’s final ruling in a trial. So the word “krino” signifies a final verdict or a sentence handed down in a court of law. 

A final verdict is handed down after all the evidence has been examined by the judge or by jurors. In using such a word as “krino,” Paul was saying that by all appearances there was no way that he and his friends would survive what they faced. As far as they were concerned, the court’s final verdict was in, and the sentence required their deaths.

No matter that Paul’s life and ministry seemed finished, he survived and fulfilled God’s calling on his life. Things might have appeared to be over, but it was really the start of a new supernatural release of God’s power in his life. Paul had been under such extreme stress that he was sure death was inevitable. Then in the midst of what seemed death, God spoke life. His supernatural power was released, and Paul and his companions were saved. Paul certainly learned not to trust in himself but in God “who raises the dead.”

When you seem at the end of all hope, you aren’t. This is when God’s resurrection power begins to work in and through you. There is really no such thing as no hope. You really have hope. As long as you realize you have a loving Abba Father on whom you can call, there is still hope for you and for your situation right now! If you learn to trust God and rely on Him, your dream that appears over can find new life. Whatever you are facing can become a new beginning filled with God’s overflowing abundance.

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