Self-Sufficiency, Prayer, and the Glory of God

Whenever you come across a “pop-up verse” like I talked about last time, it’s always a good idea to look deeper into the surrounding verses as well. As I did this with the verses preceding 2 Corinthians 1:11, I found more implications for the Christian life when it comes to prayer, our view of self, and God’s glory.

“For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 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. 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.” 2 Corinthians 1:8-10 (ESV)

“For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia.”

Paul does not hide his struggles from his fellow believers. To the contrary, for them to be “unaware” of his “afflictions” is precisely what he does not want. Coming on the tails of the comfort passage (vv. 3-7), this statement is clearly connected to the fact that as affliction is shared so will comfort be, but, as we saw last time, this verse also leads to Paul’s asking for prayer in verse 11. Thus, part of the reason he wants the Corinthian believers to be aware of his struggles is so that they may pray for him.

Let’s fast-forward to 21^st-century America for a moment. Our society takes pride in individualism, exalts the “self-made man,” and encourages a certain level of isolation. Self-sufficiency is lauded, and anything that might reveal weakness is avoided like the plague. Sadly, this mindset often creeps into the church as well. Christians who are suffering—whether from physical ailment, emotional affliction, or spiritual struggle—often hide their pain and their neediness for fear of looking weak or spiritually immature or of unnecessarily burdening others with the weight of their own problems.

But look at what Paul’s dealing with:

“For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death.” 

  

That’s some pretty serious suffering—and I don’t think he’s just being melodramatic. Neither is he trying to collect sympathy. He is acknowledging that his own strength is not strong enough; he is admitting he is weak. But he doesn’t stop there.

 “But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.”

In the very same breath, Paul directs the attention to God and praises Him as the One powerful enough to raise the dead. As Paul reveals his own weakness, he testifies to God’s strength. He shows that he and Timothy were brought to the end of themselves so that they would trust in God’s sufficiency rather than their own. And the result?

“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.”

By sharing about his struggle, his weakness, and his dependence on the Lord’s strength, he is able to share about the deliverance God provides, which in turn leads to God’s receiving glory. If people didn’t know about Paul’s afflictions, they wouldn’t see the power of God at work in his life. If people were unaware, they would not be praying and thus, as verse 11 shows, would not be able to give thanks to God when their prayers were answered.

So it is with each of us. If we keep our struggles to ourselves, not only do we deprive our fellow members of the Body of Christ from being able to do their job, but also we miss an opportunity to encourage others by letting them see God’s hand at work in our lives. Pretending that we’re strong enough doesn’t harm just us; it affects our brothers and sisters in Christ as well. And when it comes right down to it, projecting an image of self-sufficiency diminishes the glory given to God.

Let’s not be afraid, then, to ask for prayer when we are struggling. Let’s not deceive ourselves by thinking we can be self-sufficient. Instead, let’s encourage one another, pray for one another, and rejoice with one another as we see the work that God will do. That way, He’ll get all the glory.