Day 310 Bible Readings for November 8 - 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (NLT)

2 Corinthians 3-4, Psalm 150

2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (NLT)

“ We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.”

In 2 Corinthians 4:8–9, Paul wrote to the church in Corinth that he and other workers faced opposition in their ministry. They faced hostile crowds, imprisonment, and physical dangers, but they never felt that the Lord had abandoned them. They were pressed on every side but not crushed. He admitted that he did not understand every hardship or know how each danger would end. But Paul wrote that he never became hopeless.

When I read these verses, I thought about all the times I felt down and out. But like Paul, I never felt crushed. I, too, was confused by the challenges I faced in life, but unlike Paul, I was sometimes driven to despair. But in the end, I never felt abandoned by the Lord. I was knocked down but not destroyed.

Now that I am born again, I feel that my confidence in the Lord has increased, and I have more resilience than I had before my born-again experience. My hope in the Lord has increased, and I trust more in the Lord's plan than I did before. I recently experienced a setback that I knew would have crushed me earlier in my life. This time, I prayed to the Holy Spirit for guidance, and I was guided to look at this setback as a correction rather than a failure. The setback I experienced was an invitation to make the project I was working on better, and I began to see the favor of the Lord in the setback instead of viewing it as a failure, as I initially had. I know I experienced this change because my trust in the Lord has increased, and I give glory to the Lord for changing the way I look at setbacks in my life.

If these verses resonate with you—if you feel drawn to place your faith in Jesus Christ, the One whose love can change the way we think about setbacks in life—this may be your moment. Open your heart to Him. Speak to Him in prayer. Tell Him you trust Him and desire to walk with Him. He is faithful, and He will meet you exactly where you are.

Heavenly Father, I give You my life. Please forgive me for all my sins and wash me clean through the blood of Jesus. I believe in my heart that You raised Jesus from the dead, and I confess with my mouth that Jesus is my Lord and Savior. I receive Your forgiveness and the gift of salvation. Thank You, Lord—I am saved, I am forgiven, I am clean, and I am made new in Jesus' name. Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, welcome to the family of Father-God! I encourage you to find and join a Holy Spirit–filled, full-Gospel, Bible-based church where you can grow in your faith and experience the Lord's love, signs, wonders, and miracles in your life.