Thrive in Despair

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Psalm 52:8, “But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God.”

The olive tree is known as a tree that perseveres and can stand with great endurance.

In Israel, you will find olive trees that date back to the time of Christ. Talk about thriving!

When David refers to himself as an olive tree, he was stating that God has done more than just help him survive. God has helped him thrive and bear fruit in all circumstances.

In our Study of 2 Corinthians we are learning about what it takes to be an olive tree. This wonderful letter is teaching us how to go beyond just surviving in life, to thriving in life, regardless the situation.

Paul is going to expand upon verses five through seven by giving us a personal example of how he dealt with the afflictions in his life.

In sharing his own experience, Paul will now teach us how to thrive in despair. In this personal example, Paul will show us how the troubles he faced caused internal and psychological struggles.

In fact, some of the terminology that Paul uses in these verses will strike a note with those who have ever experienced depression. It almost seems that Paul experienced a nervous breakdown because of his afflictions.

Does this mean that Paul suffered depression? Maybe, since he is human. But even if he did, Paul is going to show us how God comforted through his despair so that he could thrive in it. We learn a general truth in verse eight. Life is hard and can lead to despair.

1. Life is hard and can lead to despair (8-9a)

“For we don’t want you you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia.” I love this statement. It reveals a minister who is transparent about his own struggles in life. Paul had not problem sharing his afflictions with God’s people, not for sympathy, but to show them how God worked in his life through the afflictions and struggles. Though he is somewhat transparent, he does not go into great detail about what exactly he experienced.

Notice what Paul says, “For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired life itself.” Paul is being real, and dealing with reality.

Paul’s afflictions caused great difficulty in his life. The word that we translate “utterly” or “excessively” is “Hoopurbole.” We get our English word “Hyperbole” from it. It literal means to “throw beyond,” “to be excessive,” or “beyond measure.” The problems he faced were extreme that a new attitude was not going to help.

Paul says his burdens were beyond measure; they were extreme. The word we translate “burden” is “bareo.” It means to weigh down. It is used outside of biblical literature to describe a ship so weighed down that it begins to sink, and a animal weighed down that its legs buckled under the weight.

The problems were so extreme that Paul could not handle them in his own strenth. For he says the probles were “beyond his power,” or beyond his own strength.” This lead him to despair. “ We were so utterly burdended beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.” Paul was in doubt about life. He was at a loss pyscologically. That is what the word for despair means.

Paul then goes on to say in the first part of verse nine, “Indeed, we felt that we received the sentence of death.” That is Paul’s way of saying that he felt that there was no way out of his situation. He was helpless and even hopeless. He couldn’t find the strength within himself to endure, and this caused despair. Life is hard, and it can lead even men like the apostle Paul to despair.

There are situations in life were we find ourselves helpless and even hopeless. It could be a sudden health problem, or trauma that leads to despair. It would be totally natural and normal for a person who finds out that they have cancer to battle with despair. It could be the untimely loss of a loved one that can send despair knocking at the door. There are so many life experiences that can lead us to despair.

Nevertheless, as believers we don’t have to fall victim to despair. We don’t have to be taken captive by it. We can thrive in it and through it. It begins with a gospel-centered focus on life. When we are looking at life through the lens of the gospel, we learn that the experience of despair can actually teach us to rely on the Lord.

2. Despair can teach you to rely on the Lord (9b-10)

Paul states the purpose for despair in verse nine, “Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” God used despair in the life of the apostle to teach him how to rely on God, and not self.

We are talking about the apostle Paul here. Of all people, he is having to learn how to rely on God! It goes to show you that, no matter who you are, there is always room for growth in Christian walk. So God puts Paul in a situation that would teach him how to rely on God’s power.

a. Rely on God’s power

According to Paul, the afflictions that he suffered were beyond his strength. He could not trust his abilities, nor his resolve or resources to get him through. God had to take Paul beyond any opportunity of self-reliance so that he would learn to rely on God’s power.

Notice how Paul describes God in verse nine as the, “God who raises the dead.” Paul is viewing life through the gospel. For Paul, God raising the dead is not past tense when he raised Jesus from the Dead. Nor is it just future tense when he will raise believers from the dead. The participle that Paul uses is a present tense verb. This means that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead in the past, and the same power that will raise us from the dead in the future, is the same power that can deliver us from any problem and sustain us in any affliction, no matter who dire the situation may be.

Our God is not just the God of yesterday and tomorrow. He is the God of today. We need to learn to rely on God’s power always, but especially in despair. God will comfort and strengthen us with resurrection power so that we can stand when despair is trying to buckle our legs under the weight of life’s burdens.

God gave me some personal insight from this verse. Have you ever prayed “Lord, I believe, help me with my unbelief”? I have. I have learned when you try to take things into your own hands that is unbelief. That is us telling God that we don’t believe he can do it, so we try to do it ourselves. I am convinced from my own experience that God helps us with our unbelief by allowing us into situations where all we can do is trust him. Despair can teach us how to rely on the God who raises the dead. It also teaches us how to rely on God’s promises.

b. Rely on God’s promises

Verse ten, “He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.” Paul looks to the past faithfulness of God is delivering him from his problems. He then looks took the immediate future and declares that he is trusting God to deliver him, followed by a look into the ultimate future when God delivers us from death through the great resurrection at Christ’s return.

God may not deliver us from our day-to-day problems, but he sure will comfort and strengthen us through them so that we can patiently endure. I think of what the three Hebrew boys and what they told the king just before he threw them into the fiery furnace: “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us[c] from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” They were relying on God’s power to deliver them, and God’s promise to save them in the ultimate future. As Paul closes out his personal experience, he teaches us that we need a church family to really thrive in life, but especially when life is not going well.

3. You need a church family to really thrive (11)

Verse eleven, “You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.” This verse is all about corporate prayer; God’s people praying for one another. Back in verse four Paul says that God comforts us so that we can comfort others. Another way that he uses the church family to comfort and strengthen one another is through prayer.

The Greek word that we translate “Help” is a compound word that means “help together” or “cooperate together.” It has the idea of people who are piling up work together.” We are to pile up the work of prayer together.

Some of the mercies that God wants to give us come without us seeking him. But God has ordained some of his mercies to only be experienced by those who seek him in prayer, not just individual prayer, but corporate prayer. God loves to respond to corporate prayer because the more people you have praying together, the more people you have glorifying the Lord. God is most glorified when many of his people come together knocking on heavens door for mercy.

When God’s people come before the throne of Grace in united prayer, we come alongside one another in Christ, and we put our shoulders under the heavy burdens together. Of course it is God who strengthens, but in some mysterious way, he uses our prayers in the process.

Peter may have never been delivered from Prison in Acts chapter twelve had not the church prayed together for him. Pentecost may have never come if the church had not met in that upper room in united prayer. We need to be a part of a church family to thrive.

God did not design lone ranger Christians. He designed in Christ to belong to the family of God. We are dependant upon one another. In Christ, we are bound together in the bundle of life.

Life is hard, and God is good. In his goodness, the Lord teaches us to rely on his power and promises. In his goodness, he puts us into a church family so that we can help each other thrive, not matter the circumstances.

David said, “I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God.” How did he thrive? The last half of that verse says, “I will always trust in God’s unfailing love.” To thrive in the house of God, you need to put your trust in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. You need to know Christ as your Lord and Savior for that is how you become a part of God’s family.

To thrive in the house of God, you need to be an active member in a church family. Not only to receive comfort and support through God’s people, but to give comfort and support to God’s people. It is better to give than receive.