Relying on Him for Hope and Happiness

Excerpt from John Piper 12-31-72 Sermon: Your Calamity in 1973

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Exceedingly Unbearably Crushed

I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning the affliction which we experienced in Asia for we were so exceedingly unbearably crushed that we despaired even of life, but we had in ourselves this sentence of death in order that we might not rely on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. (2 Corinthians 1:8–9)

Question: Why was Paul exceedingly crushed, beyond strength, to the point that he despaired of life itself?

Answer: In order that he might learn to put no confidence in himself but rather to put all of his trust and hope in God. Paul was brought to the brink of death that he might have no other recourse of hope than to turn to the one who has the power over death—God who raises the dead.

Question: What is God doing in the calamities of our lives?

Answer: He is causing us not to rely (for our happiness and hope) in ourselves or in the stable comfortable circumstance that surround us. Rather he is causing us to rely on himself who alone in all the universe is eternally and beautifully reliable.

Question: In the light of this can we dare to speak of glorious calamities in 1973?

Answer: I don't want to speak lightly or blithely about real tragedies that you know much more about than I do. But does not this text encourage us to confess in faith that for those who love God the calamities of 1973 will work together for good? And this is not this “good” precisely what we have seen here in 2 Corinthians 1. The good that will come from our calamity in 1973 is that we will rely more fully on God, we will love him more intensely, we will praise him with deeper understanding, in short, we will be established strong in our faith.

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