Daily Affirmations - Day 2 - Hard Pressed - But Not Without Help

Day 2: But not without help

The death of creature strength is the birth of omnipotent might

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed...

It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the One who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us…to Himself...

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal

(2 Corinthians 4:8-9, 13-14, 16-18).

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“We are troubled [hard pressed] on every side:”

There seems to be an allusion here to the Greek wrestling games. Sometimes, in wrestling, a man would be gripped by his adversary so that he could scarcely move hand or foot; yet bravely says the apostle, “We are not distressed [in despair,” or, as the original seems to suggest, “We still have a plan of overcoming our adversaries; though they seem to have got us entirely in their power, there is still something that we can do to obtain our release.”

And he goes even further than that, for he says, “We are perplexed,” it seemed as if there was nothing that he could do, yet he added, “but not in despair,” “not altogether without help...” for when he could do nothing, God could do everything. The death of creature-strength is the birth of omnipotent might.

“Persecuted, but not forsaken; [abandoned]“— having no man's face to smile upon him, but still rejoicing in the light of God's countenance.

“Cast down" [struck down], as if his [opponent] had thrown him, and he had fallen heavily upon the ground; yet he says, as he springs up again, “Cast down, but not destroyed.” Many a time [disciples of Jesus are wrestled to the ground] by [their] foes, but... never have a final fall.

As Paul, when he was stoned at Lystra, and left for dead, rose up again, and soon went on with his work, so the [true followers of Jesus], when... cast down by trouble, often seem to gain new life and vigor, and to go on to serve [their] Master even better than... before.

~ C.H. Spurgeon

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